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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Wednesday, January 30, 2002

Spurrier energizes Hula practice with wit, wisdom

By Stephen Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer

WAILUKU, MAUI — Mother Nature was out of control, drenching the Islands and forcing the Hula Bowl Maui teams to practice in the War Memorial Gym.

Former Florida coach Steve Spurrier offered advice to University of Hawai'i quarterback Nick Rolovich during yesterday's Hula Bowl Maui practice. "I'm excited to be learning from Coach Spurrier," said Rolovich. "He knows his stuff."

Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser

In this surreal setting, where some players were dressed in lava lava and receivers ran post patterns into the basketball lane, Steve Spurrier remained focused.

Despite his casual attire of sandals and shorts, and playful moments — "We have to get some of this Hawaiian juice back on the Mainland," he said, sipping from a can of Pas-o-Guava — Spurrier, guest coach for the 'Aina team, offered pointed advice to the quarterbacks and receivers.

"I'm excited to be learning from Coach Spurrier," said Nick Rolovich, a former University of Hawai'i quarterback. "He knows his stuff, and he gets his point across. I hope I can use some of his knowledge in the future."

And, perhaps, the setting mattered little to Spurrier, who appears to be at ease when he is at attention.

"He's a great teacher," Rolovich said.

Spurrier, for the moment, is in transition. Last month, he resigned as the University of Florida's head coach and, shortly after, agreed to serve as coach of the Washington Redskins. But he decided to honor his commitment to the Hula Bowl Maui, and, for this week, he holds dual citizenship in college and pro football.

"This is a nice way to go out," he said of Saturday's all-star game, his last as a college coach. "It should be fun. I'm going to do very little coaching this week. I'm going to give them some plays and let them go."

College football
 •  WHAT: Hula Bowl Maui All-Star Football Classic.
 •  WHEN: Saturday, 3 p.m.
 •  WHERE: War Memorial Stadium.
 •  TICKETS: $30 and $25. Available to charge by phone (808) 871-4141 or at Maui Mall.
 •  PARKING: $3.
Spurrier said he has no regrets about leaving college coaching after 12 years at Florida and three at Duke.

"I don't look back and miss a lot," he said. "I'm looking forward to my job with the Redskins and coaching in the NFL."

Of his decision to move on, he said, simply, "I was ready for a change. I needed this challenge of the NFL."

He said he was disappointed in the loss to Tennessee, which knocked the Gators out of contention for a national championship. "We had one lousy game," he said, "but we still finished third in the country. That's not bad. We had a chance to do bigger things (last) year and didn't do it."

Spurrier energized college football with his wide-open passing offenses. He said he will not change his style, even though he is moving into a neighborhood where all offenses appear to be the same.

"That's the only style I know," he said. "I don't think you can change your style and be successful. Coaching is a very individual-type profession. You have to do it your way. You certainly can't copy anybody else and you can't change too much. I'm going to try and not change too much."