"I heard about him from other kids, and I'd go over and watch him when he was in grade school and played football," Spurrier's high school coach, Kermit Tipton, said. "I knew that he was definitely going to be a good athlete."

Tipton coached at Science Hill High School from 1956-1966. Along the way, he saw some great players pass through. None were better than the quarterback/punter/placekicker, Steve Spurrier.

"He was the best I ever coached and one of the best in the South ever, even in high school," Tipton said. "Because he could do everything. He could run it, kick it, throw it, and his teammates responded to him."

We sat in Tipton's Johnson City house and listened to him tell stories about a passionate young quarterback. While we all know Spurrier as a visor-throwing, don't-make-me-mad kind of coach, Tipton insists Spurrier wasn't a fiery guy in high school.

"He never exploded, so to speak. He was always calm and collected."

After the last game of Spurrier's junior year, his coach realized he had something special at the quarterback position.

"We came from two touchdowns behind in the second half to win our last game of the season, and it kind of all came out and showed then. I was pretty well convinced I had a tremendous bunch of talent on my hands."

Tipton was the guy who took that raw talent and turned it into a polished, poised standout passer. By the time he was finished at Science Hill, Spurrier was being recruited by just about everyone. He chose Florida, and went on to win the most prestigious award in sports - the Heisman Trophy.

What did Tipton teach Spurrier that helped him along the way?

"I taught him how to get in uniform, and that's about it," he joked.

He then added: "I taught him to control himself a little bit more, but I didn't improve his technique on punting the football or throwing the football."

The two remain close even to this day. When Spurrier comes back to his old hometown in the summers, he always makes sure to visit Coach Tipton and his wife. While they don't exchange letters throughout the year, Tipton makes sure to keep an eye on Spurrier's team. He has high expectations for this weekend.

"I think it's going to be a great ball game, and I won't be a bit surprised if Steve wins even though he doesn't really have the material to do it, but he'll have something up his sleeve."

And the fans?

"They'll probably give him a big booing."

Really?

"Because they're afraid. So that's the best way to show their anger at him."

My favorite story Tipton told us was about a high school Bowl Game Spurrier played in.

"We were playing a high school that was not a big name high school. Didn't play in a conference like we do, but they had a fine football team and had an excellent coach. I knew that they were just about as good as we were, but I also knew that they didn't have a Spurrier."

The Ol' Ball Coach was somehow able to win an ACC Championship with Duke. He took over at Florida and defeated rival Florida State to win the 1996 National Championship. He also coached his quarterback, Danny Wuerffel, to a Heisman Trophy. Now at South Carolina, the Gamecocks are showing steady improvement. They've proven that they can compete with the best in the SEC.

Somehow, Steve Spurrier always knows which buttons to push to get the most out of his players.

The man who coached him when he was just a hometown hero realizes that's what makes Spurrier so unique.

"He has a knack of being able to get close to his players, and of course when you do that, they believe in you," Tipton said. "I think that's his most outstanding quality."