John Stewart Spencer (March 4, 1937 – July 10, 2021) was an American college football coach. He was the head football coach for Bridgewater College in Bridgewater, Virginia from 1968 to 1984, compiling a record of 56–93–3.
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 4, 1937 Denver, Colorado, U.S. |
| Died | July 10, 2021 (aged 84) |
| Alma mater | Shepherd College Appalachian State Teachers College |
| Playing career | |
| Football | |
| 1957–1960 | Shepherd |
| Position(s) | Tackle |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| Football | |
| 1961–1965 | Gardner–Webb (assistant) |
| 1966 | Shepherd (line) |
| 1967 | Bridgewater (assistant) |
| 1968–1984 | Bridgewater |
| 1985–2002 | Bridgewater (LB) |
| Track and field | |
| 1961–1965 | Gardner–Webb |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 56–93–3 (football) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| Football 1 ODAC (1980) | |
Playing career
editSpencer was born in Denver and played high school football at Northwestern Senior High School in Baltimore.[1] He played college football for Shepherd as a tackle.[2]
Coaching career
editSpencer started his career as an assistant coach for Gardner–Webb in 1961.[3] In 1966, he joined his alma mater, Shepherd, as the line coach.[2] In 1967, he became an assistant coach for Bridgewater.[4] The following year, in 1968, Spencer was named head football coach.[5] In seventeen seasons as head coach he finished with an overall record of 56–93–3. His best season came in 1980 when he led his team to a 6–3 record and a Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) title.[6][7] He resigned following the 1984 season.[7][8][9][10] From 1985 until his retirement in 2002 he served as the linebackers coach through four coaching tenures: Joe Bush, Dan Antolik, Max Lowe,[11] and Mike Clark.[12]
Spencer also served as the head track and field coach during his tenure with Gardner–Webb.[13]
Death
editHead coaching record
editFootball
edit| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bridgewater Eagles (Mason–Dixon Conference) (1968–1973) | |||||||||
| 1968 | Bridgewater | 5–3 | 3–1 | 2nd | |||||
| 1969 | Bridgewater | 3–6 | 2–3 | 4th | |||||
| 1970 | Bridgewater | 4–5 | 2–2 | 4th | |||||
| 1971 | Bridgewater | 6–3 | 3–1 | 3rd | |||||
| 1972 | Bridgewater | 4–4–1 | 0–2–1 | 6th | |||||
| 1973 | Bridgewater | 5–4 | 2–1 | T–3rd | |||||
| Bridgewater Eagles (Mason–Dixon Conference / Virginia College Athletic Association) (1974) | |||||||||
| 1974 | Bridgewater | 4–5 | 1–2 / 1–3 | T–5th / 7th | |||||
| Bridgewater Eagles (Virginia College Athletic Association) (1975) | |||||||||
| 1975 | Bridgewater | 2–7 | 0–4 | 10th | |||||
| Bridgewater Eagles (Old Dominion Athletic Conference) (1976–1984) | |||||||||
| 1976 | Bridgewater | 1–8 | 0–4 | 5th | |||||
| 1977 | Bridgewater | 3–5–1 | 0–3–1 | 5th | |||||
| 1978 | Bridgewater | 3–6 | 1–3 | T–4th | |||||
| 1979 | Bridgewater | 4–5 | 1–3 | T–4th | |||||
| 1980 | Bridgewater | 6–3 | 4–1 | 1st | |||||
| 1981 | Bridgewater | 2–6–1 | 0–4–1 | T–5th | |||||
| 1982 | Bridgewater | 3–6 | 2–3 | T–4th | |||||
| 1983 | Bridgewater | 0–9 | 0–6 | 7th | |||||
| 1984 | Bridgewater | 1–8 | 1–4 | T–5th | |||||
| Bridgewater: | 56–93–3 | ||||||||
| Total: | 56–93–3 | ||||||||
| National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth | |||||||||
References
edit- ^ "Bridgewater Names Coach". The Daily News Leader. May 6, 1968. p. 7. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
- ^ a b "Another Aide". The Daily Mail. September 9, 1966. p. 34. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
- ^ "3 Buildings Dedicated At G-W College". Hickory Daily Record. November 9, 1965. p. 8. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
- ^ "Spencer Named Assistant Coach At Bridgewater". The Daily News Leader. May 11, 1967. p. 11. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
- ^ "Bridgewater Gets New Grid Coach". The Roanoke Times. May 6, 1968. p. 13. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
- ^ "Bridgewater's Lowe resigns". Richmond Times-Dispatch. November 17, 1994. p. 51. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
- ^ a b "Bridgewater football coach John Spencer resigns post". Bristol Herald Courier. November 27, 1984. p. 10. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
- ^ "Bridgewater football coach quits". The Roanoke Times. November 27, 1984. p. 21. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
- ^ "Bridgewater Grid Coach Resigns". The News-Virginian. November 29, 1984. p. 15. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
- ^ "New coach is challenged by young Bridgewater team". News and Record. October 17, 1985. p. 57. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
- ^ Coughlin, Kevin (January 31, 1992). "Bee's assistant named Bridgewater coach". The News and Advance. p. 9. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
- ^ "Right (from page B5)". The Roanoke Times. October 4, 1996. p. 21. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
- ^ "G-W College Track Team Opens Season". The Gaffney Ledger. March 26, 1965. p. 8. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
- ^ Mettlen, Shane (July 12, 2021). "Longtime Coach Spencer Did It All For The Eagles". Daily News-Record. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
- ^ Eck, T. J. (July 13, 2021). "Former BC football head coach Spencer passes away". WHSV. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
- ^ "John Stewart Spencer Obituary". johnsonfs.com. July 10, 2021. Retrieved August 2, 2024.