Bill Spears
 circa 1927 | |
| Vanderbilt Commodores | |
|---|---|
| Position | Quarterback |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | August 31, 1906 Jasper, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Died: | December 31, 1992 (aged 86) Tennessee, U.S. |
| Weight | 155 lb (70 kg) |
| Career history | |
| College | Vanderbilt (1925–1927) |
| Career highlights and awards | |
All-Southern (1926, 1927) All-American (1926, 1927) Ranked by coach Dan McGugin as one of his six best players | |
| College Football Hall of Fame (1962) | |
William Douglas "Bill" Spears (August 31, 1906 – December 31, 1992) known as "Bounding Bill Spears" was an American football player and stand-out quarterback for Dan McGugin's Vanderbilt Commodores football teams from 1925 to 1927. Spears was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1962.[1] Grantland Rice said of Spears that he was one of the fastest quarters he'd ever seen.[2]
Early years
High school
Spears attended The McCallie School.
Vanderbilt
Playing years
Known as "Bounding Bill;" "Spears can run a team like a playing coach, drop kick, boot from placement, and pass cooly and accurately in the teeth of a charging line."[3]
1925
Edwin Pope writes "In 1925 McGugin came up with his finest quarterback in Bill Spears. Spears learned much from his coach and in three seasons had an unbelievably low number of interceptions He led the Commodores three years in which they only lost to Georgia Tech and Auburn in '25, Alabama in '26. and Texas in '27."[4]
1926
The 1926 team suffered its only loss to national champion Alabama.
1927
One fellow wrote Vanderbilt produced "almost certainly the legit top Heisman candidate in Spears, if there had been a Heisman Trophy to award in 1927."[5] In a 32 to 0 victory over Tulane, Spears had touchdown runs of 88 and 77 yards.[6] Spears received the most votes for the 1927 All-Southern team,[7] and was selected the first-team All-American quarterback by the Associated Press.[8] The 1927 Vanderbilt Commodores included the nation's leading scorer in running back Jimmy Armistead. His understudy at quarterback was later coach Henry "Red" Sanders.[9][10]
Statistics
| Year | Carries | Rushing Yards |
Average | Rushing TDs | Completions | Attempts | Passing Yards |
Passing TDs | Interceptions | Kickoff returns |
Kickoff yards |
Kickoff TDs | Punt returns |
Punt return average |
Punt returns TDs |
XP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1927 | 141 | 794 | 5.6 | 5 | 64 | 133 | 1207 | 9 | 4 | 5 | 177 | 1 | 30 | 5.9 | 7 | 16 |
Coaching years
1929
Spears was an assistant on the 1929 team.[11]
References
- ^ College Football Hall of fame, Hall of Famers, Bill Spears Member Biography. Retrieved March 12, 2010.
- ^ Traughber, Bill (September 22, 2004). "College Hall of Fame Includes Vanderbilt".
- ^ Horace C. Renegar (December 22, 1927). "Bama Star Is Captain Of Eleven". The Bismarck Tribune. p. 12. Retrieved March 15, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Edwin Pope. Football's Greatest Coaches. pp. 345–346.
- ^ a b Mark Purcell (November 1988). "Spears and Vandy excitement in 1927" (PDF). College Football Historical Society. 2 (1).
- ^ Christopher J. Walsh. Where Football Is King: A History of the SEC. p. 123.
- ^ "Spears Given Highest Vote in Selection". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. November 27, 1927.
- ^ "East, West and South Share All-American Honors: Mythical Eleven Averages 185 Pounds With Every Man A Captain". Billings Gazette. 1927-12-11.
- ^ "Sanders Admits Surprise Over PCC Sanity Code". Long Beach Independent. January 28, 1949.
- ^ Joe Marvin (November 2002). "Red Sanders Part 1: The Vanderbilt Years" (PDF). College Football Historical Society. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-04.
{{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ Fred Russell (1948). Funny Thing about Sports. p. 34.
- 1906 births
- 1992 deaths
- American football drop kickers
- American football placekickers
- American football quarterbacks
- Baseball shortstops
- Vanderbilt Commodores baseball players
- Vanderbilt Commodores football players
- All-American college football players
- All-Southern college football players
- College Football Hall of Fame inductees
- People from Marion County, Tennessee
- Players of American football from Tennessee