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Head Ball Coach
In this New York Times Bestseller, College football's most colorful, endearing, and successful pioneer, Steve Spurrier, shares his story of a life in football -- from growing up in Tennessee to winning the Heisman Trophy to playing and coaching in the pros to leading the Florida Gators to six SEC Championships and a National Championship to elevating the South Carolina program to new heights -- and coaching like nobody else. He's been called brash, cocky, arrogant, pompous, egotistical, and hilarious, but, mostly, he's known as the Head Ball Coach, a self-ordained term introduced to the lexicon of football by none other than the man, himself, Steve Spurrier. He is the only coach who can claim to be the winningest coach at two different SEC schools, and the only person who has won both the Heisman Trophy as a player and a national championship as a coach. Or who has won a Heisman and coached a Heisman winner.From the beginning, Spurrier didn't want to sound like other coaches, dress like other coaches, and, especially, coach like other coaches. As a controversial football pioneer, he ushered in a different style of leadership and play. Spurrier's press conferences were glorious -- he refused to lapse into coachspeak and was always entertaining, although he took his football very seriously. He was known for his fierce competitiveness, roaming up and down the sidelines, often throwing his signature visor to the ground in disgust. Now resigned from coaching at age 70 -- he doesn't like to say "retired" yet -- Spurrier has calmed down, but don't mistake that for a lack of fire. He can be just as feisty as the day he set foot on the East Tennessee dirt in Johnson City's Kiwanis Park, where he grew up to become one of the state's all-time greatest athletes, and went on to play for Florida where he launched one of sports history's all-time great careers.In his memoir, Spurrier talks for the first time about the circumstances under which he unexpectedly became a coach and why he resigned at South Carolina. He explains his unique style, the difference between winners and losers, his relationship with the media, why he follows the wisdom of ancient philosophers and warriors, his affinity everything taught by John Wooden, and the reasons behind his relaxed regimen for living well. Spurrier, as always, speaks candidly, bringing together his thoughts about his words, actions, and achievements, while telling countless wonderful anecdotes.
312 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 30, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
March 17, 2020
"A winner always has time to do what's important." - Steve Spurrier
This is a good book to read, especially if you think you know who Spurrier is and what he is all about. Seen by many as cocky and arrogant, he certainly doesn't come across that way in these pages. I found him to be confident, as a successful coach of his caliber should be, but more so I found him to be transparent and quite down-to-earth. I didn't find him to be arrogant in any way.
With much of this book showcasing his philosophy of life, he has dedicated himself to personal relationships with his family, his coaches, and his football players. That is the essence of his success on and off the football field. For football fans outside of Florida, however, he is best remembered for running up the score on his opponents. I'll have to admit that as a younger fan in those days, I didn't initially care much for him while he was coaching the Gators in the 1990s, but he eventually won me over with his sense of humor. I think that by the time he had arrived at South Carolina a few years later, he was a fan favorite nationwide. That personality comes across well in this book.
What I enjoyed most about this one were the recollections of his favorite games as a player and a coach, as well as his candidness and honesty about his regrets and mistakes (in football and in life) along the way. He took his role as Head Ball Coach seriously, knowing his impact on those around him, while at the same time not taking himself too seriously, realizing that football was important but not most important:
"There is such a fine line between failure and success, between life and death, depending on what path you take on that particular day. Choices we make are so critical, even if we don't realize how critical at the time. Which is why we need spiritual guidance."
The last couple of chapters ("Things I Probably Said" and "Jerri: My Head Ball Coach") were among the best in the book and serve as appropriate takeaways for the reader to remember Spurrier as someone with a healthy sense of humor who wasn't perfect but always cared about his family and friends.
This is a good book to read, especially if you think you know who Spurrier is and what he is all about. Seen by many as cocky and arrogant, he certainly doesn't come across that way in these pages. I found him to be confident, as a successful coach of his caliber should be, but more so I found him to be transparent and quite down-to-earth. I didn't find him to be arrogant in any way.
With much of this book showcasing his philosophy of life, he has dedicated himself to personal relationships with his family, his coaches, and his football players. That is the essence of his success on and off the football field. For football fans outside of Florida, however, he is best remembered for running up the score on his opponents. I'll have to admit that as a younger fan in those days, I didn't initially care much for him while he was coaching the Gators in the 1990s, but he eventually won me over with his sense of humor. I think that by the time he had arrived at South Carolina a few years later, he was a fan favorite nationwide. That personality comes across well in this book.
What I enjoyed most about this one were the recollections of his favorite games as a player and a coach, as well as his candidness and honesty about his regrets and mistakes (in football and in life) along the way. He took his role as Head Ball Coach seriously, knowing his impact on those around him, while at the same time not taking himself too seriously, realizing that football was important but not most important:
"There is such a fine line between failure and success, between life and death, depending on what path you take on that particular day. Choices we make are so critical, even if we don't realize how critical at the time. Which is why we need spiritual guidance."
The last couple of chapters ("Things I Probably Said" and "Jerri: My Head Ball Coach") were among the best in the book and serve as appropriate takeaways for the reader to remember Spurrier as someone with a healthy sense of humor who wasn't perfect but always cared about his family and friends.
January 27, 2017
Stream-of-consciousness as-told-to memoir, with not enough personality to be worth the effort. There is a lot of football history here (some of it repetitive) but not enough inside information. It would have been fun to learn more about Spurrier's strategic insight, but the complete lack of originality on that score is probably indicative that there is no there there.
The final couple of chapters serve as a dumping ground for fortune-cookie-style philosophizing and paragraph-size musings by Spurrier on numerous issues of the day. It is the most disjointed, jarring conclusion I have seen in years.
The final couple of chapters serve as a dumping ground for fortune-cookie-style philosophizing and paragraph-size musings by Spurrier on numerous issues of the day. It is the most disjointed, jarring conclusion I have seen in years.
January 24, 2017
This book is like having a chat with Coach Spurrier. It was really interesting finding out about his start in sports. If you're a coach, he also has some great advice on how to coach a successful team. I have so much respect for him and appreciate everything he's done for the Gators.
May 10, 2017
Followed the "Ole Ball Coach" since he was Gator QB in '66!! I enjoyed this book.
September 19, 2017
Steve has some interesting stuff to say about himself and the college football scene.
February 9, 2019
Fabulous! A totally down to Earth grounded human being. Humble. Appreciative. A true winner. Not some egomaniacal ranting overbearing "Coach" personality as he was portrayed often.
December 17, 2021
Appreciate the Head Ball Coach even more after reading. He did so much for the game of football.
Signed,
A Clemson Fan
Signed,
A Clemson Fan
January 10, 2025
He got married in my hometown!
January 31, 2022
In a brilliant sports biography, the Head Ball Coach Steve Spurrier recalls his life and says of coaching up to his resignation at the University of South Carolina. A gem of a sports book.
September 25, 2016
I chose this book in hopes of learning some tell-all behind the scenes events and decisions that came with managing a winning college football team. The title suggests That the reader will receive insight into how to cultivate a winning atmosphere. Instead, 2/3 of the book is a recap of all the games that were played or coached by the HBC. The recaps are rather mundane at that. A few pages are dedicated to the controversy that seemed to always surround coach Spurrier-and he seems to take a great amount of pride in Those moments.
There is some positive in the book, regarding Coach Spurriers faith, how he feels toward poor player decisions etc.
This book left many of my HBC questions unanswered, and while it may be a good read for someone who has been a fan of his from his playing days, it left much to be desired for someone peering over the fence.
I think it's important to mention that, if I were a South Carolina Gamecock fan, and a fan of Spurrier simply because he coached there, I would be fairly offended by the many remarks toward the Gamecocks as a "losing team" and the mentions that HBC made them what they were the last few years. It's very obvious throughout the book that his loyalties lie with Florida and the Gators. I.e. He was blessed to coach for UF, however Scar was was blessed to have him coach there.
There is some positive in the book, regarding Coach Spurriers faith, how he feels toward poor player decisions etc.
This book left many of my HBC questions unanswered, and while it may be a good read for someone who has been a fan of his from his playing days, it left much to be desired for someone peering over the fence.
I think it's important to mention that, if I were a South Carolina Gamecock fan, and a fan of Spurrier simply because he coached there, I would be fairly offended by the many remarks toward the Gamecocks as a "losing team" and the mentions that HBC made them what they were the last few years. It's very obvious throughout the book that his loyalties lie with Florida and the Gators. I.e. He was blessed to coach for UF, however Scar was was blessed to have him coach there.
November 15, 2016
I like me some Steve Spurrier. A decent book that does a decent job of letting us know what makes him tick.
October 3, 2016
I wanted to read this book as soon as I heard about it. So I grabbed it from the Nashville Public Library. Here are my thoughts..
1) Not that it is super important but the cover stinks. Looks like a children's book. Too much color and large lettering. Would have liked something more toned down and classy. And a better picture of Spurrier please.
2) There are a number of typos. I was pretty surprised. Maybe it was rushed to press. Not sure what the deal is there.
3) On to the good stuff... I really respect that Spurrier didn't write a "tell all" memoir where numerous people are thrown under the bus (although he did stick it to Dan Snyder and Bobby Bowden a little bit). He went the high road and talked about his great players and coaching motivational techniques. Probably a better book for a young football coach to read than a casual fan (like me) looking for some juicy inner details of the college coaching scene. But again, this only augments my respect for Spurrier.
4) The book takes you chronologically through Spurrier's career and the decision making processes he went through. I like how he worked his family into his career and refused to make major sacrifices when it came to family. As it was said in the book, "clearly there are things more important to Spurrier than football".
5) I always kinda of thought of Spurrier as a grumpy old ball coach who was sour most of the time. But after reading the book I learned that there is a very honest, good hearted man behind all those odd press conference moments over the years. He truly cared about his players and their well-being. He coached and played the game the right way.
1) Not that it is super important but the cover stinks. Looks like a children's book. Too much color and large lettering. Would have liked something more toned down and classy. And a better picture of Spurrier please.
2) There are a number of typos. I was pretty surprised. Maybe it was rushed to press. Not sure what the deal is there.
3) On to the good stuff... I really respect that Spurrier didn't write a "tell all" memoir where numerous people are thrown under the bus (although he did stick it to Dan Snyder and Bobby Bowden a little bit). He went the high road and talked about his great players and coaching motivational techniques. Probably a better book for a young football coach to read than a casual fan (like me) looking for some juicy inner details of the college coaching scene. But again, this only augments my respect for Spurrier.
4) The book takes you chronologically through Spurrier's career and the decision making processes he went through. I like how he worked his family into his career and refused to make major sacrifices when it came to family. As it was said in the book, "clearly there are things more important to Spurrier than football".
5) I always kinda of thought of Spurrier as a grumpy old ball coach who was sour most of the time. But after reading the book I learned that there is a very honest, good hearted man behind all those odd press conference moments over the years. He truly cared about his players and their well-being. He coached and played the game the right way.
January 26, 2017
When I accepted admission to the University of Florida for the Fall Semester of 1995 I fully intended to remain a Florida State fan. It wasn't just about the lure of college and fun times with friends that I converted to being a Gator, a lot of it had to do with one Steven Orr Spurrier, Jr.
Oh how I loathed him just one year prior. But my goodness how great it was when I was on his side. And I know it's Gator arrogance, but being a Gator fan in the Spurrier era made me feel entitled to winning the SEC East. UGA, Tennessee, LSU, it seemed me owned them all. And don't even get me started on teams like Vandy, South Carolina, and Kentucky (Spurrier's unique hatred of Bill Curry's teams always were almost funny).
The book itself was well done. Captured Spurrier's journey and his greatest hits. Made better by the capable hands of Buddy Martin. If you are looking for a Spurrier biography, this is the one.
More than that though, the book reminds me that my Gator Football DNA was put there by Spurrier. As we wander in our dessert now, we are looking for someone who gets that same DNA. I knew McElwain was a short timer this season when he yelled at a player for scoring a TD to increase the lead to 14 with less than a minute left. Spurrier would've never yelled at that player. Gator football under Spurrier also means titles, and guess what, that's coming again someday, too.
Oh how I loathed him just one year prior. But my goodness how great it was when I was on his side. And I know it's Gator arrogance, but being a Gator fan in the Spurrier era made me feel entitled to winning the SEC East. UGA, Tennessee, LSU, it seemed me owned them all. And don't even get me started on teams like Vandy, South Carolina, and Kentucky (Spurrier's unique hatred of Bill Curry's teams always were almost funny).
The book itself was well done. Captured Spurrier's journey and his greatest hits. Made better by the capable hands of Buddy Martin. If you are looking for a Spurrier biography, this is the one.
More than that though, the book reminds me that my Gator Football DNA was put there by Spurrier. As we wander in our dessert now, we are looking for someone who gets that same DNA. I knew McElwain was a short timer this season when he yelled at a player for scoring a TD to increase the lead to 14 with less than a minute left. Spurrier would've never yelled at that player. Gator football under Spurrier also means titles, and guess what, that's coming again someday, too.
February 12, 2017
Coach wanted to share his story his way. Inspired me to learn from some of those he learned from. Thank you coach for doing it the right way!
October 15, 2016
If you liked Steve Spurrier, you will love this book. It is like listening to one of his press conference, jumps around but always interesting. If you do not like Steve Spurrier, you will enjoy the book as he explains his coaching philosophy and has several good insights into college and pro football. Not an over use of X and O's.
November 12, 2016
This was a book that gave me more insight into the head ball coach and also allowed me to re-live the great times he had a hand in back when I was a student at UF. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and realized again why the players he coached love him so much.
December 5, 2016
This is almost stream of consciousness writing. You are not going to like it if you are not a college football fan.
"He taketh with him three angels: Enthusiasm, Determination, and Persistence, and worketh with a smile on his face. Verily I say unto you, go and do likewise.
"He taketh with him three angels: Enthusiasm, Determination, and Persistence, and worketh with a smile on his face. Verily I say unto you, go and do likewise.
January 26, 2017
Heck of a story
I was surprised that a person so competitive would willingly accept a backup role on the 49ers for so many years. In every thing else, he never accepted being other than the best and was an inspiration to those around him.
I was surprised that a person so competitive would willingly accept a backup role on the 49ers for so many years. In every thing else, he never accepted being other than the best and was an inspiration to those around him.
April 3, 2017
The story of the Head Ball Coach by the Head Ball Coach- it doesn't get much better than this! Interesting, well-written, fast moving, nicely paced auto-biography. From childhood until now the Head Ball Coach lays it out in his own honest fashion.
It was in 1991 when I moved back to the Florida that I first started hearing about SOS- people either hated him or loved him and I thought, "Who is this guy that inspires so much passion?" I started watching football for the first time with interest [as a man in my 30s]- been a fan of college ball in general, and Spurrier in particular, ever since.
It was in 1991 when I moved back to the Florida that I first started hearing about SOS- people either hated him or loved him and I thought, "Who is this guy that inspires so much passion?" I started watching football for the first time with interest [as a man in my 30s]- been a fan of college ball in general, and Spurrier in particular, ever since.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews