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Danny Wuerffel talks Hall of Fame enshrinement, Gators, Steve Spurrier
The College Football Hall of Fame held its enshrinement ceremonies Tuesday, and there was no shortage of big names on this year’s list.
There was two-time national champion and Nebraska quarterback Tommie Frazier, as well as former Colorado coach Bill McCartney, who himself won a national title with the Buffaloes in 1990. For those who follow the NFL game more closely, former Arizona linebacker turned New England Patriots stud Tedy Bruschi and top pick in the 1997 NFL Draft Orlando Pace (Ohio State) were also honored.
While those names might resonate loudest, one of the most underappreciated on the list may be former Florida quarterback Danny Wuerffel.
Wuerffel’s resume not only matches up with those of the best quarterbacks from his era but also some of college football’s all-time greats. Wuerffel took home the 1996 Heisman Trophy and helped the Florida Gators win the national championship that year. But what may be more incredible is what he did over the course of his career in Southeastern Conference play, quarterbacking a team that won four straight SEC championships.
Danny Wuerffel is nothing short of a college football legend. And in partnership with Dove Men+Care Deodorant's Caring Coach of the Year Award, Wuerffel stopped by to chat with FOX Sports ahead of his enshrinement to discuss his relationship with Steve Spurrier, his adulation of his former rival Peyton Manning, and his take on the current state of the Florida Gators.
I’m looking at all the enshrined, and it really is an incredible group with so many great players; Tedy Bruschi, Vinny Testaverde, your contemporary Tommie Frazier. What does it mean to have your name listed with so many, for lack of a better term, college football legends?
It’s incredible. I remember watching Testaverde for several games as a youngster, and playing against a few of the other guys. Plus, the respect I always had for coach McCartney for what he did on the field. It’s quite a class.
I mentioned Tommie Frazier. Have you had a chance to talk to him? I assume that being in the same vicinity during this process, the 1996 Fiesta Bowl must have come up at some point, right?
You know he’s brought it up several times, but for the life of me, I can’t remember what he’s talking about! I don’t remember much about that game!
Can’t remember many details, huh?
Well, I actually grew up a Nebraska fan …
Really?
Yeah, I lived in Nebraska the year that Mike Rozier won the Heisman in 1983. I was in fourth grade, and that was the first time I really started caring about football.
I really was a Nebraska fan, at least up until that point (when the Cornhuskers beat the Gators and repeated as national champions).
Wuerffel and Tim Tebow watch a scoreboard as life-size statues of Florida's three Heisman winners are unvelied in 2011.
So how’d you end up at Florida then? I have to assume you played high school ball in Florida. What was it that Florida and Steve Spurrier sold you on?
My dad was in the military, and we moved to Florida right before high school. I feel very fortunate (because) we almost moved to Minot, North Dakota. I might’ve ended up an ice fisherman or something. Instead, I ended up at Florida and got to go to the University of Florida to play football.
The two things that really pushed me to Florida over the other schools -- I visited Alabama and Florida State, and really liked both -- was one, the chance to play quarterback for (Steve) Spurrier. He had so much success coaching quarterbacks by that time. And two, the academics stood out above all else to me. I kept thinking to myself, "If I weren’t an athlete, what school would I go to?" And I kept coming back to Florida, which is why it was my choice.
Just out of curiosity, are you still in touch with coach Spurrier? I know he’s coming off a tough weekend, but it’s pretty incredible what he’s been able to do at South Carolina. People forget, but when you were in school, that was probably a team you saw as an automatic win on your schedule.
What coach Spurrier has done at South Carolina is unbelievable, but it’s not surprising to me. Just knowing him, knowing the way he coaches, knowing his competitiveness, I’m really happy for him.
In terms of our relationship, we stay in touch a good bit.
He actually called me a few weeks ago. I was on the porch in the morning, it was pretty early, and he called me.
He said something, in the way he does, 'Sorry to call so early. You know, I was just showing my quarterbacks the touchdown tapes from the 90’s, so I just wanted to call and say hi.’
Reflecting on your career, there was one thing I didn’t fully realize. I knew you won the Heisman Trophy, I knew you won the national championship, but I didn’t know that you won four straight SEC championships while you were at Florida. I’d be curious to know, how much do you follow college football? Do you think it’s even possible to win four straight SEC titles anymore, and are you able to fully appreciate what you did and just how incredible that was?
Well thanks. There’s a lot of times where I look back and try to pinch myself, because the way my college career played out was really like a movie. A great movie, with a great ending.
But that’s part of why I think that the way the Hall of Fame is set up, where you have to wait awhile to be inducted, is actually a good thing. So many things happen so fast. As wonderful as they all are, you get a huge win, and then a day later you’re getting ready for the next game. You really don’t have the time, or even at that point in your life the maturity, to step back and appreciate it all.
You know, I just turned 40 and to look back and reflect on winning four SEC championships and what it meant back then, it is something pretty special.
Well, you talk about turning 40, and one of your contemporaries was a guy by the name of Peyton Manning. How much do you still watch him? And with all due respect to someone who just turned 40, that Peyton, in his late 30’s, is still doing what he is in the NFL …
It blows me away, it really does. I get sore getting out of bed, just to take a step, just to brush my teeth. I just can’t imagine taking the number of hits that he has.
You know, I got hit a bunch but I was a young man, I was in college, or playing sparingly in the NFL. But I can run around, play with my kids, be engaged in a lot of different things. I’m really thankful to be healthy.
Speaking of Manning, I think Tennessee-Florida was the great rivalry in college football at that time, not just in the SEC, but the entire sport. With the two teams having played last weekend, what are your best memories of playing Tennessee? Since you beat them four times, I assume there must be some pretty good ones.
The game that we played in 1996 in Knoxville was really special. It was the most people to ever watch a game at that time, like 107,000. Whoever won was going to win the Heisman, and whoever won that game usually won the SEC East. It was a huge, huge game.
Probably the moment I’ll never forget is that on our first drive, it was probably about 4th and 15 or something, and we were across mid-field, so it was probably too close to kick a field goal. All of a sudden I realized Spurrier was going to go for it.
I remember going to the sideline and it was pouring rain, and the crowd was going crazy, and I had this surreal moment. It was almost spiritual. I got a calm and peace about me and everything started going slow.
Well we went out there and he called about a 17-yard in-route, and I noticed the safety was edging up on it, so I threw a post over the top for a touchdown. We just about ran away with the game from there.
You know, I know I already asked about Spurrier, but I’ve got to ask again. He was the Urban Meyer, Nick Saban -- you name it -- of his generation. What made him such a special coach?
Honestly he is incredibly competitive, which probably isn’t unusual. There are a lot of competitive coaches out there.
What I think he brings with him is two things that you don’t usually get in the same person. One, he’s hyper-detailed, and I’m thinking about it in terms of the passing game. That’s his bread and butter. Just as an example, I once left him a message congratulating him on beating Georgia, and he called me back disappointed that they couldn’t even throw a touchdown that week.
So he loves that passing offense.
But then he’s also got this crazy mantra of "You be the bottle cap. You just run down there and get open and make a good play and, ah, we’re gonna take a risk here!"
He’s this combination of engineer, but he’s also got a lot of fly-by-the-seat cowboy in him, too.
How much do you get to watch Florida these days?
I watch all the games that I can get, and I get to a few of the games. I’m going to the LSU game this weekend.
I know you have a good relationship with Will Muschamp, but it has been a tough stretch since that Sugar Bowl a few years ago (a 33-23 loss to Louisville in January 2013) . What’s your take on the state of the program right now?
It’s a high-profile position, so there’s a lot of criticism and a lot of pressure. And that comes with the expectation.
I really like coach Muschamp, like what they’re doing. Of course, I tend to be more of an offensive guy, so I’d rather win 40-39, than 10-9, but a win is a win is a win. But if we can play defense like we’ve done for most of the year, and get the ball moving a little bit, I think we can have a really good year.
I know somebody has the gig, but is there a future for you as a quarterbacks coach? Offensive consultant?
You know, if I had five lives to live, I’d be a coach in one of them. With one life to live you’ve got to choose carefully.
Wuerffel (shown in 1994) threw for nearly 11,000 yards and posts 114 passing TDs in his college career.
Heck, I partially coached my 10-years-old’s flag football game the other day and had plenty of fun doing that. I think the tough part of that job is trying to keep the kids calm and from getting frustrated, and it reminded me again of having good coaches, and the difference they can make.
You’re here on behalf of Dove and its Caring Coach of the Year Award. What are you, the Hall of Fame and Dove (plus Stanford coach David Shaw) trying to do with the partnership?
Well the partnership is with the Hall of Fame and the Dove Men+Care products. They’re trying to bring awareness to coaches and mentors that are doing great jobs. I think they had over 1,000 entries to the campaign. And the Coach of the Year is going to get support for their football team, get honored at the Hall of Fame, and be at Sports Illustrated and be included in the "Sportsman of the Year" issue.
I am who I am because of the coaches that I had. And I’m happy to see the Hall of Fame partnered with them.
It’s pretty obvious, but I’ll ask anyway: What’s the best moment in your career at Florida?
Well I had a great bookend to my career.
My first real moment was against Kentucky, throwing a game-winning touchdown to my good friend Chris Doering. My last experience was beating Florida State in the Sugar Bowl for the national championship.
It’s about as good a beginning and end to a career as you could ask for.
You got a prediction for LSU-Florida?
Well it’s funny because I just called a friend and told him, “You know, there used to be a day where this was the game.” LSU and Florida was it. Now, there’s a lot of other “its” in the SEC too.
But I think Florida’s feeling good after last week and LSU is down and now going on the road. I think Florida is going to pull it out. I’m going to say, 24-17, Florida.
Danny, thank you for the time today!
Thank you!
Aaron Torres is a show writer for FOX Sports Live and a contributor to FOXSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @Aaron_Torres or send e-mails to ATorres00@gmail.com.
