May 24, 2004
TUCSON -
Steve Spurrier Jr., wide receivers coach for the Washington Redskins the last two seasons and a former assistant at Oklahoma and Florida, has been hired to rejoin former colleague Mike Stoops as Arizona's tight ends coach.
"Steve is a great addition to our staff. Above all, he comes from a winning football tradition. He played in college, he coached in college and the NFL, and he's a great fit," Stoops said. "He'll be a great help for what we want to do with our offense."
Spurrier's at work with other coaches completing spring recruiting tasks, as Stoops and the staff put together priority players and strategies for recruiting the 2005 class.
Spurrier fills a vacancy created when guards and centers coach John Peterson left during spring practice to join the staff at his alma mater, Ohio State. Eric Wolford, who coached tackles and tight ends initially, then took over the line unit after Peterson's departure, will handle offensive line duties.
Spurrier, 33, began his coaching career under his father, Steve Sr., working as a graduate assistant at the University of Florida from 1994 to 1997. He was elevated to special teams-offense coach for a year, then coached receivers at Oklahoma under Stoops' brother, Bob, for three seasons from 1999-2001. In 2002 he joined the elder Spurrier on the Redskins' staff as receivers coach.
Spurrier played collegiately at Duke in 1990-94 and earned his bachelor's degree from the institution in 1993. He later earned a master's degree at Florida in 1996.
Last year, Spurrier coached Laveranues Coles to an 82-catch, 1,204-yard season and also had Rod Gardner catch 59 passes for 600 yards. Gardner had 71 receptions for 1,006 yards in 2002 to lead the Redskins.
He was part of OU staffs that coached teams to 7-5 in Bob Stoops' first year, won the national championship with a 13-0 mark in 2000 and went 11-2 in 2001. At OU in 2001, wide receiver Josh Norman, a team captain, tied the school record with 11 catches against Texas Tech and tied then freshman Mark Clayton with 45 receptions, the sixth-most in school history.
At Florida, he was on the staff of the 1997 national championship team that beat Florida State in the Sugar Bowl and finished 12-1. In all, the Gators had a 54-7-1 record during the five years he was in Gainesville.
He and his wife, Melissa, have triplets born shortly after OU won the national title game in January 2001, sons Luke and Gavin, and daughter Emmaline, born Jan. 10, 2001.
***
Steve Spurrier, ArizonaTight Ends Coach
Born: Sept. 26, 1971, Palo Alto, Calif.
College: Duke University, 1994
Advanced Degree: Master's, University of Florida, 1996
Playing Experience: Wide Receiver, Duke 1990-94
Family: Wife, Melissa, and three children,
sons, Luke and Gavin, and daughter, Emmaline
Recruiting Areas: San Francisco Bay area, North Carolina, southwest Arizona
Spurrier's Coaching Chronology
1994 Florida, Offensive graduate assistant
1995 Florida, Offensive graduate assistant
1996 Florida, Offensive graduate assistant
1997 Florida, Football Video assistant
1998 Florida, Special Teams-Offense coach
1999 Oklahoma, Wide Receivers Coach
2000 Oklahoma, Wide Receivers Coach
2001 Oklahoma, Wide Receivers Coach
2002 Washington Redskins, Wide Receivers
2003 Washington Redskins, Wide Receivers
Spurrier In the Bowls
1994 Sugar Bowl, New Orleans, UF grad assistant
1995 Sugar Bowl, New Orleans, UF grad assistant
1996 Fiesta Bowl, Tempe, UF grad assistant
1997 Sugar Bowl, New Orleans, UF grad assistant
1998 Florida Citrus Bowl, Orlando, UF special team-offense coach
1999 Independence Bowl, Shreveport, OU receivers coach
2000 Orange Bowl, Miami, OU receivers coach
2001 Cotton Bowl, Dallas, OU receivers coach
