Normally, when you put “Steve Spurrier” and “Neyland” in the same sentence, it’s viewed in a contentious way, conjuring memories of games filled with fire and drama.
However, according to the Knoxville News-Sentinel, the Head Ball Coach will be the latest recipient of the Robert Neyland Award, which has been given since 1967 in honor of the stadium’s namesake. Neyland is the school’s all-time wins leader among coaches with 173 career victories.
At Florida, Steve Spurrier posted an 8-4 record against Tennessee before going 5-5 against them at South Carolina. He also split two games at Neyland Stadium in 1988 and 1989 as the head coach of Duke, beating Tennessee 31-26 in the 1988 meeting.
According to the News-Sentinel, Spurrier will receive the award on the weekend of Tennessee’s Orange & White Spring Game April 15-16.
One of Spurrier’s most memorable quotes (of which there are many) referred to the Vols’ struggles to reach the Sugar Bowl while he coached the Gators saying, “You can’t spell Citrus without UT,” as Tennessee went to the bowl four times during his 12 years in Gainesville.
There’s a good chance Tennessee officials at the Knoxville Quarterback Club will have a line or two up their sleeves, if only to defend themselves from another Spurrier quip.
Born and raised in Gainesville, Talal joined SDS in 2015 after spending 2 years in Bristol as an ESPN researcher. Previously, Talal worked at The Gainesville Sun.
