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Dan Mullen, like many offensive minds in his profession, wears a visor because of former Florida coach Steve Spurrier.

He has always admired the HBC, long before taking his old job, working together in the same building and becoming his neighbor.

Spurrier set the bar high at UF, where the expectations are not only to win championships, but do so with a fun offense that scores a lot points. While Mullen is still gunning for his first title, his offense had a 2020 debut that surpassed Spurrier’s single-game record for total yards against an SEC opponent.

The Gators hung 51 points on Ole Miss and finished with 642 total yards, which broke the previous mark set against Mississippi State (640 yards) during Spurrier’s final season in 2001.

“I heard that it was a school record for offense,” Mullen said after the game. “I would expect when I get home, my neighbor Coach Spurrier right around the corner should have a really nice bottle of wine sitting on my desk if I broke one of his records offensively. That’s at least deserving of a nice bottle of wine.”

Spurrier obliged, but only in the way he could. Before the UF ambassador made his way to work Monday morning, he stopped by a store and delivered on Mullen’s request.

“He didn't miss a beat,” Mullen said of Spurrier. “First time I saw him he had a bottle of wine for me. I called him out and he brought it.”

Spurrier spared no expense on Mullen’s record-setting reward: one miniature bottle from a four-pack of Sutter Home chardonnay.

He’s reserving the “nice” wine for a more momentous occasion.

“I wanted to emphasize that this is not a big one yet. When you win the SEC, I’ll get you an expensive bottle,” Spurrier said on his podcast Inside The Huddle. “I got him a little miniature thing to let him know that I’m thinking of you, but let’s go bigger. And he knew exactly what I was talking about.”

Mullen appreciated the gesture — and simultaneous challenge — from the HBC.

“I love it. As soon as he said it to me I was laughing. It was awesome,” Mullen said. “I love having Coach Spurrier around. Obviously to have a football person like that around the building and around all the time, I mean, I grew up a huge fan of him. Very rarely does he not walk in the room and put a smile on the face of everyone in the office.”

Mullen said he comes by “every once in a while” to talk football and offer his two cents. Spurrier was featured on Florida’s HBO special last season, joining a staff meeting to draw up a throwback pass the Minnesota Vikings ran.

“I just love it,” Mullen said. “Since I’ve been here, he’s a guy that comes in and is not judgmental. I think as everybody knows, he’s not afraid to give you advice on different things, or speak his mind and give his thoughts.

“But he always does it to me in a very positive, constructive, helping way as a coach. I think it is great to have somebody like that around. … He’ll draw up some plays for us now.”

One of them made its way into Florida’s playbook and was called “a bunch of times” last season, Mullen revealed. The play is appropriately named.

“Because he gave it to us, we called it ‘Spurrier’ and put it in,” Mullen said. “Obviously it was pass play, not a run play. I’m sure you guessed that.”

Florida offensive coordinator Brian Johnson has learned more from the HBC than just X’s and O’s. His favorite Spurrier story is a tip he gave him on a deep-post-stop play.

“He came in there and he told us about the way that he communicated with the quarterback pre-snap, and he had a simple signal how he got the quarterback's attention and kind of told him where to go with the football before the play,” Johnson said.

“That was the simplest thing to do and it made so much sense. I’m like, ‘How come nobody's ever brought that up?' It was just a simple signal to get to the quarterback and say, ‘This guy’s open, get ready to throw it to him.’ That's something that I’ve kind of taken from him and I'm definitely gonna keep that one in the book, for sure.”

Like Mullen, Johnson enjoys having Spurrier around the office and picking his brain about offense. He called him a legend who’s forgotten more football than most coaches know.

"He’s accomplished a lot," Johnson said. "Any time you can pick his brain, get any knowledge, I think you’ve got to jump at that opportunity. We welcome him with open arms.

“I love it when he comes in there and draws up some plays for us. We put them in and they work. He is a definite one of a kind, for sure. There’s nobody like him.”