Steve Spurrier, Alex Brown set record straight about 2000 Florida-Miami fight

By Adam Silverstein
December 26, 2014

During the latest ESPN 30 for 30 special, “The U Part 2,” former Miami Hurricanes tight end Jeremy Shockey, while discussing a fight between his team and the Florida Gators on Bourbon Street ahead of the 2001 Sugar Bowl, quoted then-Florida head coach Steve Spurrier as conceding that the Hurricanes beat the Gators both on and off the field during the week, which ended with Miami pulling off a 37-20 victory.

“I remember their head coach, Spurrier, coming up to me after the game saying, ‘You guys definitely deserved it. We got our ass beat off the field and on,'” Shockey said.

Well, suffice to say, Spurrier was none too pleased with that retelling of history and made it a point to set the record straight during his 2014 Independence Bowl press conference on Friday. (By the way, South Carolina will take on Miami on Saturday at 3:30 p.m.)

“While I got your attention here, let me say something. We’ve all been watching this University of Miami 30 for 30 on ESPN. OK. They won the game. They beat us fair and square. But a Miami player on that team quoted me as saying, ‘We got our ass kicked off the field and we got our ass kicked in the game.’

“And I didn’t say that. I wouldn’t be that stupid to ever say anything like that. Now a scuffle happened sometime earlier in the week on Bourbon Street. Nobody got arrested, nobody got hurt, nobody got suspended for the game. To me, it was history.

“But for some reason, some people – some teams or whoever – they like to glamorize fighting. Our teams don’t fight. I don’t think I’ve ever had a team in a brawl, not that I can remember.

“But I certainly didn’t say that. And that 2000 Florida team was one of my favorite teams. Those guys won the SEC after getting clobbered by Mississippi State earlier in the year and then came back and won it.

“So, I just wanted to say that. I did not say what is attributed to me by a Miami player. Let’s get the record straight. … They quoted a player. They never called me and said, ‘Did you say that?’ But that’s not the first time in life somebody put a quote on me that I didn’t say. I did say most of them but not that one.”

Approximately 40 players were involved in the fight, which took place at 11:15 p.m. in New Orleans, Louisiana.

It was referred to as a “scuffle” by Spurrier and “minor verbal confrontation” by Miami head coach Butch Davis. Most believe it began with Al Blades pouring a drink over the head of Reche Caldwell. Alex Brown, Andra Davis, Jabar Gaffney, Kenyatta Walker and Gerard Warren were some of the best-known Florida players involved.

Brown also took exception to how “The U Part 2” portrayed the fight. “There is always two sides to the story…” he wrote on Instagram when the program aired. “But yeah I caught one of those punches on Bourbon Street that night at the 2001 Sugar Bowl.”

Added Brown on Twitter: “I got hit but we knocked a few a them boyz out too… Trust me… The whole story isn’t being told.”

Spurrier spoke briefly about the incident with the Associated Press back in 2000.

“You’ve got to get a guy who wasn’t a Gator or Hurricane to tell you what happened,” he said. “All we can do is say what we know. I’m sure they have their side of the story.”

Video of Spurrier’s comments via The State:

15 Comments

  1. Sam Andreu says:

    Always a class act and always a Gator!!

  2. Daniel M. says:

    ….and thanks Driskel for gifting Miami their only “signature win” of the last 6,000 years.

    • 305Gator says:

      Some “signature” beating a 4 – 8 team. On par with Georgia Southern. But for Miami it got them ranked albeit for a short time before returning to their losing ways.

  3. Timmy T says:

    Love me some Spurrier. Hey, Adam..any idea what uniforms the Gators are wearing next Sat.?

  4. UFGATORFAN100 says:

    I agree Daniel M because of Driskel we Lost the last game we will play against SCUM…… In a while. It would have been nice to have WON the last 2 Games against SCUM…..

    PS that 30 for 30 U Show which by the way I would never watch Part 1 or Part 2 is a reason why I HATE SCUM and always will….. GO GATORS Good Luck USC and Ole Ball Coach

    • Wingtee says:

      Its the Head BalCoach . Get it right dude

    • 305Gator says:

      I’m with you. The guy behind those films, Corbin is a big time Miami lover. Problem for them is that is all they have, DVDs of long ago when they used to be relevant. They have done nothing in over a decade and continue to suck to this day, all their fans are screaming for their coach to be fired but they are stuck with him.

  5. GatorT says:

    Adam,

    Do you think Florida will add any alternate type uniforms in the future?

    I like our regular uniforms, but with all the alternates that other teams have now it seems to be a huge selling point to recruits.

    • They’re very much about tradition for some reason despite the fact that those Pro Combat uniforms were very popular under Meyer.

      • G2 says:

        That seems to be the case, maybe the new staff will generate some new looks, sure hope so.
        I agree it would help in recruiting as well. Maybe fans need some new merchandise to purchase, could benefit the athletic dept budget with all the money involved in these buyouts!

    • Wingtee says:

      Right Bama is having a tough time recruiting in those crazy uniforms they wear.

      • gatorboi352 says:

        We need to get away from comparing Bama to the rest of college football. Bama is a dynasty like none other. They could have beaten the Jacksonville Jaguars in any of the last 6 years FFS

  6. GatorT says:

    Seems like the only people that care about tradition now are alumni in their 30’s and older. These young kids care about looking cool and having some flash. I just don’t want to see Florida end up like Penn State, stuck in the past.

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