Spurrier's Last Game Played at Dudley Field

Spurrier’s Last Game Played at Dudley Field

11/3/2005

This week the Commodores travel into the hostile environment of “The Swamp,” home of the Florida Gators and minus Steve Spurrier. Looking through an old Vanderbilt program dated October 1, 1966, I find that Florida was playing at Dudley Field and their quarterback playing in Nashville for the last time was–Steve Spurrier.

Scanning through the pages I found a preview of the game which read in part:
The University of Florida, led by one of the finest quarterbacks playing on the college scene today, comes into Dudley Field tonight after hanging up victories over Northwestern (43-7) and Mississippi State (28-7) in their first two outings. Steve Spurrier, the signal caller, for the Gators has more than lived up to his advance notices and figures to give the Commodores a run for their money tonight.

Tonight’s game could well shape up as one of the finest passing duels of the season as Spurrier goes against Gary Davis in the mound duel. Both quarterbacks are capable of throwing the long bomb and putting on a real show. The game tonight may well be won up front; the team with the

best offensive line play may well be the one to pick up the marbles at the end of the game.

I was curious about the content of the game and how ole Steve did during this Heisman Trophy and senior season. So, I located the game clippings to find Vanderbilt lost the game, 13-0.

The headline for The Tennessean read, “Spurrier Frustrates Vandy.” Ray Graves was Florida’s coach and Jack Green led the Commodores. Only 16, 522 fans witnessed what was described as Vanderbilt’s finest effort of the year. Vanderbilt came into the game following a season-opening win over The Citadel (24-0) and a loss to Georgia Tech (42-0).

Spurrier was from Johnson City, Tenn., and was 13-of-18 passing with two touchdowns. Vanderbilt kept Florida off the board in the first quarter, but Spurrier drove the Gators on a four-play, 67-yard TD score just before the half. His 22-yard pass to Jack Coons gave the Gators a 7-0 lead.

Florida took possession of the second half kickoff and drove the football into the end zone capping a 17-play drive. The drive consumed 8:35 off the clock and covered 72 yards. A 5-yard swing pass to tailback Larry Smith scampering into the end zone and the score. The extra point was muffed and a desperation pass was incomplete.

Florida led 13-0, which would be the final score.

Vanderbilt had four first downs within the Gator 15-yard line, but failed to produce any points. Two fumbles stopped two of those scoring opportunities. Spurrier had 165 yards passing compared to Davis’ 7-of-14 for 83 yards. A Davis-to-Chuck Boyd pass that covered 37 yards in the second half was the Commodores biggest play.

Graves said after the game:
“Vandy didn’t make many big changes. The Commodores just simply came after us all the way and made us earn this one the hard way. Vanderbilt put the best rush on (Steve) Spurrier that I’ve seen in a long time. Steve played very well. His passing was almost perfect under extreme pressure.

“It’s difficult to point out individuals, but it seemed to me that the (Chip) Healy boy was in on a lot of plays. If you are going to be a good football team these are the kind of games you must, somehow win. Vandy carried the fight to us all night and we responded with a win which was most pleasing.”

Chip Healy was in his sophomore year as a Commodore linebacker and was honored as a First Team All-SEC. In his junior and senior seasons, Healy was Honorable Mention All-SEC. After his senior year, Central Press selected Healy as a First Team All-American. The Sporting News made him a Second Team All-American selection.

Green had these comments to make following the game:
“Spurrier is a great football player and about the only way you can keep him from gaining yardage is to keep the ball yourself. We did a pretty good job of that. Davis also did a good job for us and we will be heard from before this season is over. A good football team beat a good football team here in this one in a good football game.”

An optimistic Green could not keep his Commodore club on such a high level for the rest of the season. Vanderbilt finished the season at 1-9 and Bill Pace replaced Green at the end of the season. Florida would beat Georgia Tech, 27-12 in the Orange Bowl.

Spurrier would win the Hesiman Trophy that year and played a short time in the National Football League. Oh yeah, he also became a college coach at Florida, then the NFL and currently back in the SEC at South Carolina. He also coached the Tampa Bay Bandits of the USFL (1983-85, 35-19-0).

The 1966 Florida game program also listed the addresses of all the SEC referees and officials. You’d never see that today. The Vanderbilt band was scheduled to play at halftime a medley of tunes from cigarette commercials, soft-drink commercials, beer commercials and sedative (aspirin, etc.) commercials. And this was 1966.

Spurrier has a coaching record of 13-0 (Florida 10-0, Duke 2-0, South Carolina 1-0) against Vanderbilt.

In his first year in the NFL, Spurrier once said “There are no Vanderbilt’s in the National Football League.” In his two seasons as an NFL coach with the Redskins Spurrier accumulated a record of 12-20 (2002 7-9, 2003 5-11).
Seems like there were no winning records in the National Football League for ole Steven.

Next week read about the famous Vanderbilt game at Yale in 1910.

If you have any comments or suggestions you contact Bill Traughber at WLTraughber@aol.com.