There are 60 days that separate us from Ohio State's march to Blacksburg. To help pass the time until the Buckeyes put the Sandman to sleep I will countdown Ohio State's top 100 players according to the rubric* listed at the bottom of this article.
Tim Spencer led the Buckeyes in rushing during the 1982 and 1981 seasons.
NO. 60 TIM SPENCER, RB (1979-82)
Born: 1960 (Martins Ferry, Ohio)
High School: St. Clairsville
OHIO STATE CAREER:
- The Buckeyes were 38-11 with Spencer on the team.
- 1979 Big Ten Title.
- 1981 Big Ten Title.
- 1981 defeated Navy 31-28 to win the Liberty Bowl.
- 1982 defeated BYU 47-17 to win the Holiday Bowl.
- Went 3-1 against That Team.
HONORS:
- 1982 Captain.
- 1982 Team MVP.
- 1982 All-Big Ten.
- 1982 holiday Bowl MVP.
- 1981 All-Big Ten.
- 1997 Inducted into the Ohio State Varsity O Hall of Fame.
- 2004 Inducted into the Ohio Valley Athletic Conference Hall of Fame.
NFL DRAFT
Round 11 to the San Diego Chargers with the 307th pick of the 1983 draft.
Going into the 2014 season, Spencer ranked 3rd on Ohio State's all-time rushing list with 3,553 yards.
Tim Spencer's Ohio State career per ovac.org:
After his prep days, Spencer matriculated to Columbus to play for Coach Earle Bruce’s Ohio State Buckeyes.
The 6-1, 210-pounder was a three-year starter for the Buckeyes. He finished his career with 3,553 yards which still ranks third on Ohio State’s all-time rushing charts.
Spencer led the Big Ten in rushing as a senior with 1,371 yards, eighth best in the nation. He was accorded All-Big Ten honors twice and was a second-team UPI All-American selection as a senior.
He served as the Buckeyes’ co-captain as a senior and was voted the team MVP that year. He was also named MVP of the Holiday Bowl as he rushed for 167 yards and two TDs in OSU’s 47-17 win.
Tim Spencer's high school career per ovac.org:
Tim Spencer (St. Clairsville High School, Class of 1979) ranks with the greatest running backs ever to grace Ohio Valley high school gridirons. Spencer - who plied his trade for legendary coach George Strager - rushed for some 3,144 yards and 50 touchdowns. He scored 338 points during his Red Devil grid career.
As a senior, the Parade All-American gained 1,670 yards and scored 28 touchdowns while his junior numbers totaled 1,280 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns. Spencer’s top prep game came as a senior when he rushed for 306 yards and scored six touchdowns against Martins Ferry. All told, he scored 40 points in that contest.
He was awarded All-OVAC and All-Ohio football honors following his junior and senior seasons.
Spencer is currently coaching in the NFL with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Spencer's coaching career per Wikipedia:
In 1994, Spencer returned to Ohio State to be their running backs coach, a position he held until 2003. Since January 27, 2004, he has been the running backs coach for the Chicago Bears. Spencer was not retained by the Bears in 2013 after the hiring of Marc Trestman.
He joined Lovie Smith's staff at Tampa Bay for the 2014 Season.
| CATEGORY | POINTS |
|---|---|
| HEISMAN | |
| NO. RETIRED / HONORED | |
| BIG TEN MVP | |
| TEAM MVP | 5 |
| ALL-AMERICAN | |
| CAPTAIN | 4 |
| 1ST ROUND NFL DRAFT PICK | |
| ALL-BIG TEN | 6 |
| ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICAN | |
| NFL DRAFT PICK | 2 |
| ACADEMIC ALL-BIG TEN | |
| LETTER | 1 |
| TOTAL | 18 |
For more information on other players who wore No. 46 go here.
Sources- The Ohio State Team Guide, ovac.org and Wikipedia
| CATEGORY | POINTS |
|---|---|
| HEISMAN | 8 |
| NO. RETIRED / HONORED | 8 |
| BIG TEN MVP | 6 |
| TEAM MVP | 5 |
| ALL-AMERICAN | 4 |
| CAPTAIN | 4 |
| 1ST ROUND NFL DRAFT PICK | 4 |
| ALL-BIG TEN | 3 |
| ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICAN | 3 |
| NFL DRAFT PICK | 2 |
| ACADEMIC ALL-BIG TEN | 1 |
| LETTER | 0.25 PER YEAR |
