A passing fancy? Steve Spurrier wanted a new challenge, and he's found just that: to display staying power in the ever-changing world of the Redskins

Football Digest, April, 2002 by Barry Wilner

RARELY HAS THE HIRING OF A coach been met with such enthusiasm throughout the NFL. When Steve Spurrier abruptly quit as coach at the University of Florida and then was signed in January by the Washington Redskins, even the people who will have to beat him were psyched.

"I think it's a great endorsement for the NFL that one of the greatest coaches in the college ranks is intrigued enough to come into the league, to wonder if he can do that at this level," says Pittsburgh Steelers coach Bill Cowher. "We're all wondering that. I've never met him, but I have lot of respect for him and wish him nothing but the best, except when he's playing us."

That won't be in the upcoming season. And by the time the Steelers do hook up with the Redskins, the presence of Spurrier in the NFL might not be looked upon with such glee by his peers. When Redskins owner Daniel Snyder wants to make a splash, he goes after the biggest fish he can find. He knew he couldn't land a Tuna (Bill Parcells), so he went for a Gator.

For Spurrier, the time was right to make the jump. "This year, it seemed like all of our seasons started running together," says Spurrier, who coached the Gators for 12 seasons and won a national championship in 1996. "Everything was the same. It seems like we were 9-1 going into this game, win or lose, blah, blah, blah--win nine or 10 or sometimes a little bit more."

The challenge of coaching in the SEC, the best conference in the nation, had faded. The yearly meetings with Bobby Bowden and Florida State weren't as compelling as they once were. The rivalry with Tennessee didn't carry the same weight. And so on and so on.

Spurrier also told friends he was not enamored of the BCS system, which supposedly determines the best two teams in the country and matches them for the national championship. He preferred something more definitive--and he wasn't about to go down to Division I-AA or Division II to find it.

As soon as Spurrier made himself available for the pros, he was inundated with queries about his interest in various jobs. Early speculation centered on the Panthers in Carolina, where Spurrier, a 6-handicap, could play golf for much of the year. But then "Mr. Snyder," as Spurrier calls the Redskins owner, came up with the most lucrative contract ever for an NFL head coach: five years at $5 million annually.

Seeing a nucleus that included such familiar players to Spurrier as cornerback Champ Bailey, linebacker LaVar Arrington, tackles Jon Jansen and Chris Samuels, and running back Stephen Davis, and not fully grasping how high-profile the Redskins job is, Spurrier quickly signed on.

But knowing Snyder's impatience with coaches, Spurrier did go into the job with his eyes at least somewhat open. Spurrier is the fourth coach since Snyder purchased the franchise in 1999, following Norv Turner, Terry Robiskie, and Marty Schottenheimer. "I'm in complete agreement with the way Dan Snyder wants to run this team," Spurrier says. "If there's a disagreement, Mr. Snyder will make the call."

Had he waited another week, Spurrier might have wound up in Tampa, where Tony Dungy was fired. The Buccaneers had inquired on several occasions in previous years about Spurrier's interest, but they had been rebuffed each time. No matter. Spurrier has donned the garnet and gold of the Skins, and his wife Jerri ordered T-shirts for the family emblazoned with the words CAPITAL ADVENTURE.

And what an adventure this figures to be. Spurrier's Fun 'N Gun offense, while entertaining and free-flowing, will need some tinkering to be effective in the pros. Although this is not the same Run 'N Gun that made Warren Moon a star with the Houston Oilers, it is not exactly the type of attack that fits in well with the December chill in D.C.

"I was telling Mr. Snyder that sunshine follows the Gators, and maybe sunshine will start following the Redskins and we're going to have some good fortune," Spurrier says. "I know we've got a lot of good players on the team. I know it's a team that's very capable of having a big year. How big, we've got to find out.

"We've got a lot of pieces to the puzzle we've got to put in place, but that's the fun part of it. That's the challenge, seeing if we can get that done. I know it's a tough league. It's not going to be easy, but I'm looking forward to having a go at it and doing my part."

His part will be providing focus to a team that badly needs it. And Spurrier wants the NFL to know he isn't bringing some video-game system out of "the Swamp" and plunking it down onto FedEx Field. "Sometimes everybody thinks all I do is throw the ball all over the ballpark, and we do throw it all over the ballpark, but we also run the ball," Spurrier says.

"LaVar Arrington was in, and I said, `LaVar, were you on that Penn State Citrus Bowl team back in '96?' And he said, `Yeah, coach, I was a freshman. Didn't play much that year, but I played quite a bit in that game.' And that was the year they didn't have much of a run defense. Joe Paterno's defense wasn't very stout.