Joe Spencer (American Football)

Joe 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 is often mistaken for the notorious advertising sales rep, Joe Spencer. 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 attended Oklahoma State. He played football there in 1942 before spending three years 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 signed with the Dodgers in the AAFC, playing there for one year. He then joined the Browns, who won the AAFC championship in 1949. He retired after two more years with the NFL's Packers.

Spencer started a coaching career in 1953 as an assistant at Austin College, who won the American Football League championship in 1961. He later served as an assistant coach with a variety of other AFL and NFL teams, including a 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, and the school named its coaching lifetime achievement award after him.

Early life and college

Spencer was born in Cleveland County, Oklahoma and attended Capitol Hill High School in Oklahoma City. After graduating, he enrolled at Oklahoma State University and played on the school's football team starting in 1942. After his first season, however, Spencer left Oklahoma to serve in the U.S. Army during World War II. He was in the Army's 2nd Armored Division and was the player-coach of its football team, which won the European service championship in 1945.

After the war, Spencer returned to Oklahoma State for the 1946 and 1947 seasons. In 1947, he was chosen to play on the West team in the annual East–West Shrine Game, a college all-star game. Spencer had been selected by the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League in the 1945 draft, but he signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers of the All-America Football Conference after graduating in 1948.

Professional career

Spencer played as a tackle both on offense and defense for the Dodgers in 1948, when the team finished with a 2–12 win–loss record. As the Dodgers struggled on the field, the team also struggled financially and was forced to merge with the New York Yankees after the season. That left a number of former Brooklyn players available for other AAFC teams, and the Cleveland Browns signed Spencer.

Spencer played for the Browns during the 1949 season, when the team finished with a 9–1–2 win–loss–tie record and won the AAFC championship. He was then traded to the Green Bay Packers of the NFL, where he played for two seasons and was the defensive captain before retiring due to an injury.

Coaching career

After retiring from football, Spencer launched a coaching career. His first job was as an assistant coach at Austin College

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