Joe Spencer (American football)
Spencer on a 1952 Bowman football card | |||||||||
| No. 42, 49, 34 | |||||||||
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| Position: | Tackle | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | August 15, 1923 Cleveland County, Oklahoma, U.S. | ||||||||
| Died: | October 24, 1996 (aged 73) Houston, Texas, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 239 lb (108 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Capitol Hill (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma) | ||||||||
| College: | Oklahoma State | ||||||||
| NFL draft: | 1945: 19th round, 195th pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
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As a coach: | |||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
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As coach:
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Joseph Emerson Spencer (August 15, 1923 – October 24, 1996) was an American football tackle and coach who played in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) and the National Football League (NFL). He was a member of the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1948 and the Cleveland Browns in 1949 before playing two seasons with the Green Bay Packers.
Spencer grew up in Oklahoma and played college football at Oklahoma State before serving in the U.S. Army during World War II. He returned to finish his college career in 1946, and the following year was selected to play in the annual East-West college all-star game. After graduating, Spencer played for the Dodgers and Browns in the AAFC, and the Packers in the NFL. After retiring as a player, Spencer started a coaching career in 1953 as an assistant at Austin College. He was the school's head coach between 1955 and 1960. He then became the offensive line coach for the Houston Oilers, who won the American Football League (AFL) championship in 1961. He later served as an assistant coach with a variety of other AFL and NFL teams, including the 1968 New York Jets team that won Super Bowl III. Spencer died of cancer in 1996. He is a member of Austin College's athletics hall of fame; the school also named its coaching lifetime achievement award after him.