Steve Spurrier set to receive Distinguished Citizen Award
Legendary former Florida Gators head coach Steve Spurrier will receive this year’s Distinguished Citizen Award. The award is presented by the AutoZone Liberty Bowl announced Wednesday. The award presentation will take place Sunday, June 5 at 6:30 p.m. in Memphis, Tenn.
“Coach Spurrier joins a decades-long list of renowned Americans who have distinguished themselves and reached the pinnacle of their chosen field,” stated Executive Director of the AutoZone Liberty Bowl, Steve Ehrhart. “We are proud to include Coach Spurrier among the Luminaries who have been honored by the AutoZone Liberty Bowl over our 64-year history.”
Spurrier won the Gators’ first Heisman Trophy Award as a player. He was also named a unanimous All-America quarterback at Florida in 1966. As the head coach of the Gators, he won seven SEC Championships and Florida’s first National Championship in 1996. In 2006, he won the AutoZone Liberty Bowl as the head coach of South Carolina.
Spurrier spent nearly 15 years away from Gainesville. He left Florida in 2001 to try coaching in the NFL and then went to South Carolina. Spurrier returned to Gainesville in 2016 to serve as an ambassador for the University Athletic Association.
Spurrier’s sports legacy is recognized twice in the College Football Hall of Fame. He was inducted as a player in 1986 and as a head coach in 2017. The field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium was named in his honor. “Steve Spurrier-Florida Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium” was dedicated on September 3 2016.
Spurrier becomes 50th person honored
As Liberty Bowl is the seventh-oldest college football bowl game. The Award was created as an annual tradition to honor prominent Americans from a variety of professions. It has included military commanders, governors, and congressmen, as well as leaders in business, medicine, education, entertainment, and sports. Notable sports honorees include Paul “Bear” Bryant, Bobby Bowden, Tony Dungy, and Lee Corso. Peyton Manning was the recipient in 2021.
![Florida Gators wide receiver Eugene Wilson III (3) hauls in a pass while taking balls from a throwing machine during University of Florida Gators’ Spring football practice at Sanders Practice Fields in Gainesville, FL on Thursday, March 28, 2024. [Doug Engle/Gainesville Sun]](https://on3static.com/cdn-cgi/image/height=215,width=393,quality=90,fit=cover,gravity=0.5x0.5/uploads/dev/assets/cms/2024/08/01212103/Untitled-design-80.png)
![Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier walks during the first half at the Orange and Blue spring football game at Steve Spurrier Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, FL on Saturday, April 13, 2024. [Matt Pendleton/Gainesville Sun]](https://on3static.com/cdn-cgi/image/height=215,width=393,quality=90,fit=cover,gravity=0.5x0.5/uploads/dev/assets/cms/2024/04/18141240/Untitled-design-72-2.png)
