The Radio City Music Hall Rockettes from New York were passing through town, and they wanted to know if they could visit the Gamecocks' football practice.

Seriously.

Spurrier's first season as South Carolina coach couldn't be labeled a circus. But it did almost resemble the arrival of a rock star. Everybody wanted to touch him, see him, get tickets for Saturdays.

"I don't know how it is, being around a rock star," joked cornerback Fred Bennett. "I've never been around a rock star. (But) the attention is very different."

So were the on-field results.

Spurrier's first South Carolina team won seven games and earned a bowl trip. There were wins against Tennessee and Florida. Handling requests from the Rockettes pales in comparison to how wild things have become in Gamecocks country.

"It was amazing, man," Bennett said. "He came in and he just said, 'Look, we can win at South Carolina. We can play with the best of the best.' Everybody just jumped on the bandwagon."

That wagon is overflowing for Year Two. After making his legend at Florida, Spurrier has others talking about what could happen at his new school as well.

"It used to be three," Tennessee coach Phil Fulmer said of the tough Eastern Division in the Southeastern Conference at the league's media event on Thursday. "And now it's four."

The Vols, Gators and Georgia are all a little leery, and maybe even a little jealous, of the Spurrier magic. After all, the Rockettes aren't knocking down the practice field fences in other SEC towns to get a glimpse of the "head ball coach."

How much attention has South Carolina commanded? ESPN asked the Gamecocks to open the 2006 season by playing a Thursday night game, as they did last year.

"Sure," Spurrier said.

South Carolina visits Mississippi State on Aug. 31. Two nights later, Spurrier will be in Gainesville, Fla., to attend a special ceremony to honor the Gators' only team to win a national title in football, the 1996 squad coached by Spurrier and quarterbacked by Heisman Trophy winner Danny Wuerffel.

That brings up another compelling question. Will the fans boo Spurrier?

"I would hope not," Wuerffel said recently, "after everything he has meant to Florida football. I wouldn't expect that."

The soap opera that is Spurrier gets even more interesting. To celebrate the 100th season of Gators football, the school is planning on decorating the hallways underneath the stadium with banners and photos throughout. All-American players will be honored, for example. And a couple of special displays are planned for the school's two Heisman Trophy winners — Wuerffel and Spurrier.

So on Nov. 11, South Carolina will visit Florida Field with Spurrier seeking his second straight win against the Gators. Meanwhile, a photo of him wearing his old Gators jersey will hang in the hallways.

A year ago, South Carolina shocked Florida, 30-22 in Columbia, to cost the Gators the SEC Eastern Division title.

Spurrier looked almost in shock when he jogged off the field.

Imagine how the Rockettes felt.

So will fans boo Spurrier? Undoubtedly they will on Nov. 11. But at the Sept. 2 celebration to honor the '96 team? Doesn't the man deserve to hear 90,000 Gators fans cheer him one last time?

"I'd be shocked if that didn't happen," said ESPN announcer Ron Franklin, who worked dozens of Gators games over the years. "In fact, I'd be a little disappointed (if fans don't cheer) because Steve deserves that. ... How can you not respect Steve Spurrier for what he did, first as a player and then as a coach?

"Steve put the bar at a new level in the Southeastern Conference. I don't care what anybody says."

Spurrier chuckles at all the talk. But privately, he is a little concerned about the September visit.

"I think he's hoping he'll be treated the same way as the players," said Spurrier's wife, Jeri. "You know, we still have a home in Gainesville. It will always be a very special place to both of us."

As a former coach, the school still provides Spurrier with season tickets, adding to the irony. His kids use the tickets because he's kind of busy right now. But Spurrier does see a day when, his coaching career over, he uses them from time to time himself.

He even says he cheers for the Gators ... 11 of the 12 weeks of the season.

Spurrier says he owes it to the players on the national-title team to show up for their reunion.

"I sort of believe they'll treat me like they do the players on the team," he said. "Shoot, this was 10 years ago that we were fortunate enough to win it all. We know that we had an extreme amount of good fortune with all the teams ahead of us losing to get in position to play FSU again (in the Sugar Bowl) to win the national championship.

"Those players are special to me and to all Gators. Certainly I feel responsibility to go back and see those guys, since we're not playing and we do have a little time off that Saturday."

Spurrier plans to fly in the day of the game and leave after the first quarter.

Of course, wherever Spurrier appears it is an event. Thursday was no different at the SEC media event. About a dozen cameramen followed Spurrier from his arrival, prompting him to warn one to be careful he didn't fall while being knocked around by the pass rush.

Spurrier said this South Carolina team isn't among the best in the SEC. He cracked a couple of jokes, mentioning the school's tradition in football included an Outback Bowl trophy in the display case and that's about it. He vowed to keep working hard.

He called receiver Sidney Rice one of the best he's coached. Rice had a superb freshman season in 2005. And when he was done, another crowd of media followed the Gamecocks coach back out into the sunlight, where he eventually waved to the "media boys and girls" and was gone.

The Rockettes would have been jealous.

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