Tebow, Spurrier rank among college football's greatest villains
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College football is filled endlessly with feel-good stories and moments of joy, but there is also room for the villains.
One hundred and fifty-six seasons of college football have passed, and ESPN has compiled a list of the sport's greatest foes. With countless coaches, players, and programs of infamy to choose from, two of Florida's most iconic figures, Steve Spurrier and Tim Tebow, earned spots on the list.
So where do two of the most celebrated names in Gainesville rank among college football's all-time greatest villains?
Tebow lands at No. 8 on this list, and if it were about being college football's greatest, he would be on it as well. The storied play-caller isn't considered a villain for his character; he is labeled a villain for simply being great at the sport.
Tebow came into Gainesville as a highly touted quarterback, who many thought should have started on day one. The media hype, coupled with his early career dominance, made him a villain and birthed the concept of "Tebow fatigue." He was so overwhelmingly dominant that opposing programs and fan bases disliked him for the sheer amount of talent he had.
Tebow fatigue may have caused voters to sway from allowing for Tebow to capture his second Heisman Award — the Florida quarterback was that polarizing.
Spurrier, on the other hand, was the opposite of Tebow, which is why he landed as the No. 1 villain to grace the collegiate gridiron.
The Head Ball Coach's villainous persona was developed by his confidence, quick wit and willingness to take playful jabs at opponents. He was never one to shy away from controversy, whether he created it or not. His aura, combined with Florida's dominating run during the 1990s, made him the godfather in Gainesville and the peak antagonist to everyone else in the country.
The insults to rival programs, along with the unapologetic competitive edge he maintained, were beloved by fans in Gainesville because he backed it up. Spurrier secured the first national title in the football program's history against Florida State, the school he once teasingly called "Free Shoes University."
He also taunted SEC rival Tennessee by saying, "You can't spell Citrus without U-T," as a jab at the program for continuously missing out on major national title games and settling for the Citrus Bowl.
Both Spurrier and Tebow left marks on college football in very different ways, and their legacies continue to show their place among the greatest in the sport, whether they were liked or not.
College football's greatest supervillains of all time
- Steve Spurrier
- Lane Kiffin
- Johnny Manziel
- The Boz
- 1990 Miami Hurricanes
- Notre Dame
- ESPN
- Tim Tebow
- Deion Sanders
- Caleb Williams
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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Tebow, Spurrier rank among college football's greatest villains
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