Would Vol Fans Trade Jones For Spurrier?

With the road trip looming to South Carolina to face the Gamecocks this Saturday, here is a question for you….would Vol fans trade Butch Jones now for Steve Spurrier? I know Spurrier is ending his career, and that will have a lot to do with the answers. Would you trade a 46 years old Jones for a 46 year old Spurrier? Interesting, huh? I wouldn’t, and below I tell why.

Spurrier is from Tennessee of course. He graduated from Science Hill High School in Johnson City. He’s one that got away from the nearby Vols, and he has been a thorn in the rear for years.  He went on to play quarterback at Florida from 1963 – 1966 where he won a Heisman Trophy. After Florida, he had a 10 year NFL career with San Francisc0 49er’s and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Spurrier took over head coaching duties at Florida in 1990 and stayed to 2001. He won 6 SEC Championships and a National Championship in 1996.  He went 122 – 27 – 1 in that time. Spurrier and his hated visor took it to Tennessee during that period.

Darth Visor loved making fun of Tennessee during his time at Florida. “You can’t spell Citrus with out UT” he would quip after beating Fulmer time and time again. He even went after Peyton with “I know why he came back for his Senior Season, so he could be the 3 time MVP of the Citrus Bowl”.

I really hated Spurrier, in a loving kind of way. I loved to hate him. I couldn’t wait to see him throw his visor and stress himself on the sideline. It was absolutely great to watch. But then he would call the winning pass play thrown by over achieving quarterbacks to average college receivers. He just beat you. I always came away wondering what if he was our coach. (nothing against Fulmer as I loved him as well)

Spurrier left for the NFL head coaching position of the NFL Washington Redskins in 2001.

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Spurrier came back to the SEC after a failed venture into the NFL as the South Carolina Gamecocks in 2005. Spurrier is 81-43 presently at South Carolina. The Vols beat Carolina at home last year, and will go beat Carolina at their home this Saturday. I hope to see some visor tossing, and I will hate him lovingly. I guess it is a hate him, but love to watch him coach kind of thing.

So, I give you Spurrier’s stats to date 223 – 83 – 2 and ask again, would Vol fans trade Butch Jones now for Steve Spurrier at age 46?

It is a tough question when you know the records of these two. My answer to the question is no. I’ll tell you why. It has nothing to do with wins, present or future SEC Championship possibilities, or present or future national championship possibilities.  That is obvious. Butch is just more my type of person. He is humble. Spurrier is everything but humble.

Coach Jones teaches his kids life lessons. He builds men. You can hear the passion in his voice of how he cares for his players, and how much his players care for him. He makes sure they go to class. He makes sure that they are qualified to win at life after they leave the University of Tennessee. Spurrier would rather draw up the plays, play the game, and go to the golf course. He seems as if he could care less. It probably is not as it seems, but think about his demeanor on the sidelines, and listen to his press conferences.

Butch is all in at all times. Spurrier is all in on the field, and out as soon as he shakes the opposing coach’s hand after the game. Butch is on the field when a player is down, because it is a person he loves. Spurrier is looking for the next player up. I’m not saying Spurrier doesn’t care about his players. I’m sure he does. But he is about Spurrier winning, not South Carolina, or Florida, or Duke. It is about Spurrier.

Winning is what Butch wants to do, and will do at Tennessee. Will Butch win as much as Spurrier? Probably not. It is a different time. Spurrier is an offensive genius. An Innovator of offensive football. He introduced speed to the SEC when everyone else was 3 yards and a cloud of dust. He ran around them, and threw it over them. No one had an answer.  I love watching how he drew up plays to create mismatches. He was years ahead of his time. Always one step ahead.

Butch is a step ahead in another area. The area of building men. He is passionate about it. He recruits at a high level of not only athleticism, but also character. He is building a system to develop that character on and off of the field further. These players will benefit greatly from the lessons this man teaches beyond the checkerboard end zones. Butch will win his share of games. He is a champion recruiter, and that will result in a championship at Tennessee. I am convinced.

I just want Vol fans to look ahead, or look back. Butch is 46. Spurrier is 69. What can Butch do in those 23 years? He can build a winning program that the University of Tennessee is proud of. More importantly, he can build men that the University of Tennessee and Vol Nation can be proud of. I hope he is here for a long time. Sure, I will always wonder “what if” the ole’ ball coach was roaming our sidelines as our coach. As for now though, I wouldn’t trade.