October 25, 200421 yr http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=1908871 Zook was 20-13 in three seasons The Florida Gators have fired third-year football coach Ron Zook and his staff, ESPN's Kirk Herbstreit reported Monday. Athletic director Jeremy Foley will meet with members of the team this afternoon and then announce that Zook and his staff will coach the team for the remainder of the season, Herbstreit reported. The firing comes on the heels of the Gators' 38-31 loss Saturday to Mississippi State, the worst team in the SEC. The Gators are 4-3 this season, 20-13 overall under Zook. His teams haven't had the swagger of those under his predecessor Steve Spurrier, who lost only six home games in 12 years and won a national championship. When asked about his future Sunday, Zook focused on next Saturday. "I just have to worry about this next game right now," Zook said. "That's all I have any control over."
October 25, 200421 yr Wow, during the middle of the season like that? There must have been a mutany brewing...
October 25, 200421 yr Author Wow, during the middle of the season like that? There must have been a mutany brewing... Fans wanted this guy gone before he even stepped on the gridiron. This is probably a wise time to do it. They just lost to MSU at home. That's like IU beating the Patriots in NE.
October 25, 200421 yr He can come to U of I anyday. This was step one of two to get Spurrier back in Gator blue. 1.Fire Coach 2.Hire Spurrier.
October 26, 200421 yr Author Gators Contact Spurrier Gators want quick answer University of Florida officials have contacted Steve Spurrier to gauge his interest in returning to coach the school's football team, a source told ESPN college football analyst Jim Donnan on Tuesday. School officials want to know within the next 24 hours whether Spurrier is interested in returning to Gainesville to replace the fired Ron Zook, the source said. Zook, who will finish out the season, was fired Monday after two-plus years, satisfying a growing groundswell for his ouster that began the day he replaced Spurrier. The Gators are 20-13 under Zook with four games left -- that's just 14 losses fewer than Spurrier had in 12 seasons. If Spurrier would return, the former Washington Redskins coach would be interested in having Oklahoma co-defensive coordinator Bo Pellini on his staff, the source told Donnan. "We will discuss this job with a number of coaches, and obviously if Coach Spurrier is interested, we will sit down with him," AD Jeremy Foley said on Monday.
October 26, 200421 yr Lots of interesting things with that situation. Foley seems to be interested in Spurrier, yet he seems to be putting him on the back burner after some comments he made about waiting a while longer before hiring anyone. You would think if Spurrier is their man, they would snatch him up before other jobs become available, UNC's job is already rumored to be offered to Spurrier. Another interesting note about the situation, Florida's president was Utah's president when Urban Meyer was hired.
October 28, 200421 yr Author Spurrier tells Florida he wants to talk Developments indicate job his for the taking Steve Spurrier has told University of Florida officials that he is interested in discussing a possible return to coach the Gators, sources told ESPN's Chris Mortensen on Wednesday night. In addition, Florida officials have now given Spurrier two weeks to determine if he wants the job, although no formal offer has been given and no details such as salary have been discussed, Mortensen reports. Still, these are the most significant indications yet that the job is essentially Spurrier's if he wants it. The Florida job opened Monday when coach Ron Zook was fired after two-plus years. Zook and his staff will finish out the season; according to one report, the university will buy out Zook's contract at $450,000 for each of the remaining years. Spurrier was one of the most successful offensive coaches in college history, going 122-27-1 in Florida with a high-powered pass-oriented offense that often produced lopsided scores. He abruptly quit the Gators in January 2002 because he wanted to try his Fun 'n Gun offense in the NFL. In what he later admitted was a mistake, Spurrier brought several ex-Florida players to the Redskins for his first season, during which he went 7-9 while making five changes at starting quarterback. Spurrier lasted only one more season in Washington. He resigned on Dec. 30, 2003, three days after the Redskins finished 5-11. At the time he left the Gators for the pros, his five-year, $25 million contract was the richest ever for an NFL coach. The Gators are 20-13 under Zook with four games remaining -- that's just 14 losses fewer than Spurrier had in 12 seasons with the Gators. Zook was Spurrier's defensive coordinator for three seasons. Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops, Spurrier's defensive coordinator for three seasons at Florida before leaving for the Sooners job in 1999, issued a statement Wednesday indicating that he has no interest in succeeding Zook. The decision to fire Zook was met with the derision in the locker room. Players strongly defended Zook and chastised athletic director Jeremy Foley for the timing of the move. If Spurrier does return, he would be interested in having Oklahoma co-defensive coordinator Bo Pellini on his staff, a source told ESPN college football analyst Jim Donnan.
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