James Winfred Spruill (February 26, 1923 – January 8, 2006) was an American professional basketball and football player.[1][2]
Early life
Spruill was born in Dublin, Texas, to Clint and Addie Spruill.[3] He first played football at Dublin High School, where he earned four letters and All-District honours as a tailback.[4]
College career
Spruill won a basketball scholarship to Rice University where he also played college football.[5][1]
Professional career
Following his graduation, Spruill played professional football for the Baltimore Colts of the All-America Football Conference in the 1948 and 1949 seasons.[2] He played in 26 total games, starting 15.[2]
Spruill also played in the Basketball Association of America for the Indianapolis Jets in just one game during the 1948–49 BAA season.[1] In that game he scored two points and recorded three personal fouls.[1][6] He was recommended to Jets coach Burl Friddle by Colts coach Cecil Isbell.[7]
Coaching career
In 1951, Spruill became a high school football coach at Silsbee, Texas. He later coached at Durango High School in Durango, Colorado, Amphitheater High School in Tucson, Arizona, and Lompoc High School in Lompoc, California.[8] He coached football at LHS from 1965 to 1974 before serving as athletic director until 1981.[9][5]
Spruill died in 2006 at Boulder City, Nevada, at age 82.[10]
BAA career statistics
| Legend | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | Games played | ||||
| FG% | Field-goal percentage | ||||
| FT% | Free-throw percentage | ||||
| APG | Assists per game | ||||
| PPG | Points per game | ||||
Regular season
| Year | Team | GP | FG% | FT% | APG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1948–49 | Indianapolis | 1 | .333 | .000 | .0 | 2.0 |
| Career | 1 | .333 | .000 | .0 | 2.0 | |
References
- ^ a b c d "Jim Spruill BAA stats". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved February 6, 2016.
- ^ a b c "Jim Spruill NFL stats". pro-football-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved February 6, 2016.
- ^ "James Spruill". The Lompoc Record. January 11, 2006. p. A3. Retrieved March 15, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Jim Spruill signs with Colt eleven". The Baltimore Sun. June 12, 1949. p. 33. Retrieved March 15, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b John McReynolds. "Spruill leaves a lasting legacy". The Lompoc Record. pp. B1, B3. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
- ^ Wiener, Bob (October 25, 1999). "The Double Life of Jim Spruill". The Lompoc Record. p. B1. Retrieved March 30, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Jets Face Fulks, Warriors Tonight With New Player". The Indianapolis Star. February 7, 1949. p. 20. Retrieved March 30, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Jordan, Ed (April 30, 1965). "AHS Loses Jim Spruill To Lompoc". Arizona Daily Star. Tucson, Arizona. p. 35. Retrieved October 19, 2019 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ "Spruill set to fish". The Lompoc Record. May 28, 1975. p. 8. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
- ^ John McReynolds (January 10, 2006). "Former Braves Coach, A.D. Jim Spruill passes". The Lompoc Record. p. 9 – via Newspapers.com.
External links
- Career statistics from NBA.com and Basketball Reference
- Career statistics from NFL.com · Pro Football Reference
