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Olympic Fan
10-13-2015, 03:07 PM
Okay, hear me out.

I watched most of Steve Spurrier's press conference today and I was struck by one thing he said -- he wanted to make it clear that he was "resigning" not "retiring."

While he said that he doubts he will ever be a head college coach again, he said he could see himself coaching in another role.

That triggered the memory of something he said 20 years ago -- he was on the top of the world at Florida, but he came back to Duke for some offseason function and he was talking about how much he loved his time at Duke and how much he admired Duke University -- which he said was the model for balancing academics and big-time athletics. He repeated that meme all those years when people asked him why he would give terrible Duke teams a vote in the preseason coaches poll every year - he said to honor a school that was doing it right.

Spurrier also said at that meeting 20 years ago that he would like to return to Duke some day to end his career -- not as head coach, but I another role.

So why not approach him now and give him the chance to join the Duke staff as a volunteer offensive "consultant". I wouldn't want to replace Scotty as the offensive coordinator, but Spurrier could bring a lot of offensive genius to the table as a offensive guru -- I'd love to see him calling plays! It actually wouldn't be that crazy a move -- Bobby Knight was famous for hiring aging ex-coaches to sit on his bench. Dean Smith brought in former Kansas coach Dick Harp as a "consultant."

Okay, I don't know how that would work with the NCAA rules and the limits on the size of coaching staffs. And I really don't know how good his relationship is with Coach Cut -- although Cut has hired Jim Collins as an assistant coach ... and Coach Collins was on Coach Spurrier's staff at both Duke and Florida. That at least suggests a link.

I know this is farfetched speculation -- but it's a lot more realistic that speculating about Duke's chances of getting in the 2015 playoffs (and I have offered real reasons why it might happen).

rasputin
10-13-2015, 03:47 PM
I know this is farfetched speculation -- but it's a lot more realistic that speculating about Duke's chances of getting in the 2015 playoffs (and I have offered real reasons why it might happen).

If this board didn't already have a 2-letter abbreviation (for Elizabeth King), we could call it the FS board.

flyingdutchdevil
10-13-2015, 03:50 PM
So...if Duke's playoff chances are 0.00001%, does that mean that Spurrier to Duke is 0.00002% chance of happening?

Both are really unlikely, but at least with Duke's playoff chances thread, we're living in the present, not in the past.

Mike Corey
10-13-2015, 03:52 PM
Whether or not there's a place for Spurrier at Duke with Cutcliffe at the helm is fun to speculate about, for sure. No doubt Spurrier still loves the University.

OldPhiKap
10-13-2015, 04:16 PM
Spurrier would be great in a fundraising role and in energizing a fan base. As for getting operational, though, you can only have one head ball coach at a time. Kinda like bringing Lance Armstrong on to race in support of Alberto Contador in 2009 -- you can't have two alphas.

Love me some Steve though. If there was something he could do that Cut and Kevin thought would be a good fit, I am all for it.

Henderson
10-13-2015, 04:21 PM
Okay, hear me out.


I get this. It assumes some stuff about Spurrier, and assumes more about Cut. But it's not crazy. I think OF makes a legit point.

tux
10-13-2015, 10:36 PM
Okay, hear me out.

I watched most of Steve Spurrier's press conference today and I was struck by one thing he said -- he wanted to make it clear that he was "resigning" not "retiring."

While he said that he doubts he will ever be a head college coach again, he said he could see himself coaching in another role.

That triggered the memory of something he said 20 years ago -- he was on the top of the world at Florida, but he came back to Duke for some offseason function and he was talking about how much he loved his time at Duke and how much he admired Duke University -- which he said was the model for balancing academics and big-time athletics. He repeated that meme all those years when people asked him why he would give terrible Duke teams a vote in the preseason coaches poll every year - he said to honor a school that was doing it right.

Spurrier also said at that meeting 20 years ago that he would like to return to Duke some day to end his career -- not as head coach, but I another role.

So why not approach him now and give him the chance to join the Duke staff as a volunteer offensive "consultant". I wouldn't want to replace Scotty as the offensive coordinator, but Spurrier could bring a lot of offensive genius to the table as a offensive guru -- I'd love to see him calling plays! It actually wouldn't be that crazy a move -- Bobby Knight was famous for hiring aging ex-coaches to sit on his bench. Dean Smith brought in former Kansas coach Dick Harp as a "consultant."

Okay, I don't know how that would work with the NCAA rules and the limits on the size of coaching staffs. And I really don't know how good his relationship is with Coach Cut -- although Cut has hired Jim Collins as an assistant coach ... and Coach Collins was on Coach Spurrier's staff at both Duke and Florida. That at least suggests a link.

I know this is farfetched speculation -- but it's a lot more realistic that speculating about Duke's chances of getting in the 2015 playoffs (and I have offered real reasons why it might happen).

"Okay, hear me out" should automatically get inserted at the top of every internet forum post...

That said, I'm glad I did decide to hear you out because I like your kind of speculating. Though I do wonder about the Spurrier/Cut relationship. They went head to head quite a bit when Cut was at UT.

MarkD83
10-13-2015, 10:46 PM
I wonder how the "3 time Citrus Bowl MVP" would react when he is on campus during the summer.

duke blue brewcrew
10-13-2015, 11:29 PM
Spurrier would be great in a fundraising role and in energizing a fan base. As for getting operational, though, you can only have one head ball coach at a time. Kinda like bringing Lance Armstrong on to race in support of Alberto Contador in 2009 -- you can't have two alphas.

Love me some Steve though. If there was something he could do that Cut and Kevin thought would be a good fit, I am all for it.

First, as for OF's speculative idea regarding Spurrier coming back to Duke in some role, and where that might rank on the crazy meter...I'd say I've seen far crazier ideas on here. It's quite possible that I authored one or two of them. :)

Starting with the second bolded point first from OPK, I 110% agree. Which is why the first bolded point makes tremendous sense IMHO. Name one program who would raise there hand and say, "We have plenty of fundraising, no need to add any additional resources to this issue...who happen to be modern day college football royalty with ties to Duke University"? And, as it's been noted on multiple occassions on this board, despite the fact that Duke Football is putting up Ws weeK- in and week-out, it hasn't completely translated to fans in the stands. This is another area where Spurrier could focus some effort and work some HBC magic.

On a related side note to that final point and not to derail this convo, I am hopeful this season that as Duke Football (fingers crossed) picks up a big win coming out of the bye week against VT, and that the atmosphere will be electric in Wally Wade for the Halloween match-up vs the U. There will be bigtime recruits there for both football and basketball to see a (theoretically) ranked Duke take on the Canes with a lot of new toys to show off at Brooks Field. It would be great if it were a night game! Does Duke's ods of that night game slot improve with a Top 25 ranking?

Olympic Fan
10-14-2015, 12:22 AM
I thought I made in clear in my original post that I was not suggesting that Spurrier would in any way supplant Coach Cutcliffe -- or even OC Scotty Montgomery. I can see where I only implied that Spurrier's return would have to be something that Coach Cut would have to welcome. It is Cut's program and he's got to run it the way he thinks best. That's worked pretty well so far.

But my original speculation is not without factual foundation -- Spurrier did say Tuesday that he was merely resigning (not retiring) and that he could see himself coaching again (but not as a head college in college). And he did once say that he hoped to finish his coaching career at Duke.

Will it happen? Probably not.

But it's not implausible. To be realistic, I doubt it could happen this season, but maybe in the offseason ... Just imagine the resource he would be, sitting in the film room with our offensive coaches ...

Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15
10-14-2015, 08:04 AM
But it's not implausible. ...

I love the idea. But I think you and I have different understandings of "implausible."

Spurrier injects a joy of the game which Duke sorely needed during his tenure as head coach. I agree that if he has interest, something ought to be found for him in fundraising or the like, but I can also see that having another "Alpha" would be complicated.

Unless Cut would relish the idea of having someone to jabber with the reporters before halftime and offer quotes while he focuses on game plan for the second half...

Perhaps "not implausible" is accurate

duke blue brewcrew
10-14-2015, 08:31 AM
I thought I made in clear in my original post that I was not suggesting that Spurrier would in any way supplant Coach Cutcliffe -- or even OC Scotty Montgomery. I can see where I only implied that Spurrier's return would have to be something that Coach Cut would have to welcome. It is Cut's program and he's got to run it the way he thinks best. That's worked pretty well so far.

But my original speculation is not without factual foundation -- Spurrier did say Tuesday that he was merely resigning (not retiring) and that he could see himself coaching again (but not as a head college in college). And he did once say that he hoped to finish his coaching career at Duke.

Will it happen? Probably not.

But it's not implausible. To be realistic, I doubt it could happen this season, but maybe in the offseason ... Just imagine the resource he would be, sitting in the film room with our offensive coaches ...


For the record, I truly like the idea. It will be interesting to see what, if anything, comes of this unique potential opportunity for Duke Football and The HBC.

superdave
10-14-2015, 08:47 AM
I wonder how the "3 time Citrus Bowl MVP" would react when he is on campus during the summer.

He is comfortable with himself in his old age, knowing he will never have more Super Bowl MVPs than his little brother.

cspan37421
10-14-2015, 10:56 AM
Spurrier would be great in a fundraising role

I can think of one person with an Allen Building office, whose main duties involve fundraising, that many wouldn't mind seeing replaced with Spurrier ... or almost anyone. That keeps him out of Cutcliffe's hair and would give the OBC plenty of time for golf as well. Heck, golf would practically be part of his job. Get the cash flowing to Durham from Augusta National.

Olympic Fan
10-14-2015, 05:35 PM
Just a small update to this speculation.

As I suggested, all of this depends on Coach Cut's willingness to offer Spurrier a small role in program. As I stated, I don't know how Cut really feels about Spurrier.

But today on the ACC teleconference, Coach Cut lavished praise on Coach Spurrier and pointed out that his brother was a teammate of Spurrier's at Florida. He said that college football had lost one of its greatest offensive innovators.

Just saying ...

Also, there is a Raleigh radio station starting a "Bring Back the HBC" campaign to try and lure Spurrier to Raleigh to take the vacant head coaching job at Athens Road High School.

cspan37421
10-14-2015, 06:28 PM
my bad. I didn't know he was called the Head Ball Coach (HBC). Where did I get "Ol' Ball Coach" (OBC)? Was that ever his appellation?

duke blue brewcrew
10-14-2015, 06:38 PM
my bad. I didn't know he was called the Head Ball Coach (HBC). Where did I get "Ol' Ball Coach" (OBC)? Was that ever his appellation?

I was watching the SVP SC the evening that the Spurrier news broke. They brought Rece Davis on to talk about it. He covered this topic specifically, and I thought it was interesting. OBC is apparently a commonly but incorrect phrase used by a lot of fans referencing Spurrier. The HBC has always been the term. I'm pretty sure I've used both in my time, now I know which one to use moving forward.

DevilWearsPrada
10-15-2015, 05:27 AM
The Best to Coach Spurrier.

There are certainly a lot of Golf Courses in the Triangle and around North Carolina to keep The Ole Ball Coach happy, if he returns to the area.

oldnavy
10-15-2015, 07:38 AM
The Best to Coach Spurrier.

There are certainly a lot of Golf Courses in the Triangle and around North Carolina to keep The Ole Ball Coach happy, if he returns to the area.

When he was in Durham he was a member at Willowhaven CC. I would see him coming off the 18th hole when he would stop by the pool to speak with his wife and kids.

Steve never had much to say to me (why would he, I was but a lowly lifeguard), but his wife and kids were extremely nice and outgoing. I also met Steve's mother in Jacksonville Florida at a church we both attended. She was extremely nice as well.

I would love to see the HBC come back to Duke....

Ima Facultiwyfe
10-15-2015, 07:57 AM
There can only be one alpha dog. We already have the best.
Love, Ima

Scorp4me
10-15-2015, 09:02 AM
Well, whether anyone think it's implausible or not Olympic certainly connected the dots for you. If the comments Olympic cited were made only weeks apart as opposed to years we'd all be falling all over ourselves to confirm it and contrive ways Spurrier could complement Cut without causing problems. So kudos to Olympic for having such a good memory. I'd have to say that it's more likely Spurrier was simply saying what needed to be said over the years (although the resigning not retiring comment is curious) or perhaps his memory isn't as good as Olympic's. Maybe you should remind him hehe.

killerleft
10-15-2015, 12:47 PM
There is no doubt that Spurrier has always been a gifted playcaller. At Duke, he just seemed to 'know' how the defense would line up and how to catch them off-balance. It's true that he had quarterbacks and receivers/backs who were talented, and even more important, played very smart football. The receivers found a way to get open, and the QBs rarely just zeroed in on one receiver.

So, sure, if Coach Cutcliffe and Offensive Coordinator Montgomery are for it, and Spurrier wanted to do it, why would we not want to mine one of the brightest minds ever to coach offense in college football?

Cutcliffe, Montgomery, and Spurrier. Three of the storied names in the modern football era for Duke University. It just sounds kinda pipe-dreamish to me. In a good way.:o

TruBlu
10-15-2015, 05:51 PM
There is no doubt that Spurrier has always been a gifted playcaller. At Duke, he just seemed to 'know' how the defense would line up and how to catch them off-balance. It's true that he had quarterbacks and receivers/backs who were talented, and even more important, played very smart football. The receivers found a way to get open, and the QBs rarely just zeroed in on one receiver.

So, sure, if Coach Cutcliffe and Offensive Coordinator Montgomery are for it, and Spurrier wanted to do it, why would we not want to mine one of the brightest minds ever to coach offense in college football?

Cutcliffe, Montgomery, and Spurrier. Three of the storied names in the modern football era for Duke University. It just sounds kinda pipe-dreamish to me. In a good way.:o

Spurrier was also a great coach in teaching his QB's how to read defenses. Most of the time when his QB called an audible, something good would happen.

Henderson
10-15-2015, 06:55 PM
Spurrier was also a great coach in teaching his QB's how to read defenses. Most of the time when his QB called an audible, something good would happen.

IIRC Steve Spurrier was the offensive coordinator at Duke for the first couple years of Ben Bennett's college career. I think Spurrier left before Bennett graduated in 1984, but Bennett had a pretty decent 13 year pro career. Bennett also had a really cool taunt of the Clemson defense on a touchdown run in a Duke upset win, which got him penalized and much press.

I've always been kind of a fan of Ben Bennett's and, derivatively, Spurrier's. But I just can't see the value added from Duke's point of view, today, of re-engaging.

53n206
10-15-2015, 08:46 PM
He won't be an assistant coach, probably a consultant. That would be great. And in the WashDuke course is a not a bad place for him to work out.

-jk
10-15-2015, 09:25 PM
He won't be an assistant coach, probably a consultant. That would be great. And in the WashDuke course is a not a bad place for him to work out.

Heck, Pinehurst is just a short hop away!

-jk

Indoor66
10-16-2015, 08:07 AM
Heck, Pinehurst is just a short hop away!

-jk

He and Butters could renew the links rivalry. :cool: