Steve Spurrier, the College Football Hall of Fame coach who was decidedly less successful in the NFL, is giving pro football another go.
Spurrier announced this morning that he has accepted a job as head coach of the new Orlando franchise in the Alliance of American Football, a rival league that will begin play in February of 2019.
The announcement was carried live on CBS, which will televise AAF games starting the week after next year’s Super Bowl.
The 72-year-old Spurrier brings instant credibility in Florida, where he was first a Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback and later a national championship-winning coach for the Florida Gators. Although Spurrier had a disappointing 12-20 record in two seasons in Washington in the NFL, he said he’s eager to help develop young players in a minor league.
“If a player is in our Alliance and he gets to go to the NFL, we’re going to shake his hand and say good going because he can make a lot more money in the NFL,” Spurrier said.
Also promoting the league on CBS this morning were Charlie Ebersol, the founder of the league, and Hines Ward, who is serving as a consultant.