Steve Spurrier reveals what former Tennessee Vols WR Peerless Price told him about the famous Citrus Bowl quip

No one on Rocky Top was sad to see Steve Spurrier leave the Florida Gators after the 2001 season.

Spurrier was a thorn in the side of the Tennessee Vols for over a decade.

Some of the Vols' best teams came up short of their ultimate goal of winning a championship because of Spurrier and the Gators.

Spurrier went 8-4 against Tennessee during his time as Florida's head coach.

Steve Spurrier reveals what former Tennessee Vols WR Peerless Price told him about the famous Citrus Bowl quip

One of Spurrier's most favorite one-liners was a quip about Tennessee and the Citrus Bowl.

"You can't spell Citrus without U-T," said Spurrier in the late 1990s.

Tennessee players didn't find the remark funny at the time, but years later, they saw the humor.

"We were the two best teams in the East," said Spurrier recently on the Regions Bank YouTube channel of his battles with Tennessee in the 1990s. "I was at the SEC legends thing before one of the championship games, I think in 2018 or so. I was going in, and Peerless Price from Tennessee was going in. And in 98, [Tennessee] beat us in overtime. We missed a little field goal, they made one, and they won a game. And Peerless was telling me, he said, 'Coach, we celebrated that game big time.' I said, 'Well, you guys probably maybe deserved one.' He said, 'My four years at Tennessee, we lost three (SEC) games -- all to you guys. I said, 'You know, I never thought about that.'"

Spurrier went to describe his current relationship with former Vols head coach Phillip Fulmer while also sharing that Price admitted in 2018 that the Citrus Bowl quip was "sort of funny".

"We are good friends, I think, now," said Spurrier when asked about his friendship with Fulmer. "You know, sometimes in the heat of battle, you say some corny things and people get upset. In fact, Peerless told me, 'Coach, when you said you can't spell Citrus Bowl without a UT in it, we were a little ticked off back then...but now, it is sort of funny.' And I said, 'Well, it was in the summertime.' It was that the Orlando Gator Club when I said it. So I tried to keep all those corny jokes in the summertime, not during the week of the game."

No one in East Tennessee was laughing nearly 30 years ago when Spurrier joked about the Citrus Bowl, but at least (most) fans and former players can find the humor in the comment now.

This article was originally published on A to Z Sports Tennessee Vols as Steve Spurrier reveals what former Tennessee Vols WR Peerless Price told him about the famous Citrus Bowl quip.

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