Robert Spillane (born December 14, 1995) is an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, p ...

for the

Las Vegas Raiders The Las Vegas Raiders are a professional American football team based in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. The Raiders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West divis ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL). He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

Western Michigan West Michigan and Western Michigan are terms for an arbitrary region in the U.S. state of Michigan's Lower Peninsula. Most narrowly it refers to the Grand Rapids-Muskegon-Holland, Michigan, Holland area, and more broadly to most of the region a ...

Early years

Spillane was born and grew up in

Oak Park, Illinois Oak Park is a village in Cook County, Illinois, adjacent to Chicago. It is the 29th-most populous municipality in Illinois with a population of 54,583 as of the 2020 U.S. Census estimate. Oak Park was first settled in 1835 and later incorporated in ...

and attended Fenwick High School. He played both

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offen ...

and

for the

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

team at Fenwick. He was rated a three-star recruit by several recruiting services and was originally recruited to play running back in college when he committed to play at

College career

Spillane played four seasons for the

Western Michigan Broncos The Western Michigan Broncos are a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I program representing Western Michigan University (WMU) in college athletics. They compete in the Mid-American Conference in men's baseball, basketball ...

, appearing in 47 games (40 games). During his college career, Spillane accumulated 312

tackles Tackle may refer to: * In football: ** Tackle (football move), a play in various forms of football ** Tackle (gridiron football position), a position in American football and Canadian football ** Dump tackle, a forceful move in rugby of picking up ...

(32.5 for loss), 10 sacks, four

interceptions In ball-playing competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for a player of the same team b ...

, five pass breakups, three forced fumbles and two

fumble A fumble in gridiron football occurs when a player who has possession and control of the ball loses it before being downed (tackled), scoring, or going out of bounds. By rule, it is any act other than passing, kicking, punting, or successful ...

recoveries. He was named second-team All-

Mid American Conference The Mid-American Conference (MAC) is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I collegiate athletic conference with a membership base in the Great Lakes region that stretches from Western New York to Illinois. Nine of the twel ...

(MAC) selection in his junior season after recording 111 tackles, including 10.5 for loss, three sack, three interceptions and two forced fumbles. As a senior, Spillane was again named second-team All-MAC after compiling 88 tackles, 11 of which were for loss, 1.5 sacks and an interception, which he returned 35 yards for a touchdown.

Professional career

Tennessee Titans

Spillane signed with the

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their h ...

as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

on May 14, 2018. He was cut from the 53-man roster at the end of training camp and subsequently re-signed to the Titans

practice squad In sports, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. Frequently used in gridiron football, they serve as extra players during the team's practices, ...

on September 2. Spillane was promoted to the Titans active roster on October 9, 2018. He made his NFL debut on October 14 in a 21–0 loss to the

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays its ...

. Spillane was waived by the Titans on October 29, 2018.

Pittsburgh Steelers

On February 8, 2019, Spillane was signed by the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...

. He was waived on August 31, 2019, and was signed to the practice squad the next day. He was released on September 24, 2019, but re-signed on October 8. He was promoted to the active roster on November 5. Spillane finished the season with 11 tackles in eight games played. On October 18, 2020, against the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference ( ...

, Steelers starting inside linebacker Devin Bush Jr. tore his ACL. Spillane replaced Bush and finished the game with 5 tackles. On October 20, Steelers Coach

Mike Tomlin Michael Pettaway Tomlin (born March 15, 1972) is an American football coach who is the head coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). Since joining the Steelers in 2007, he has led the team to ten playoff runs, se ...

announced that Spillane would be the starter for the remainder of the season. In Week 8 of the 2020 season, Spillane intercepted a pass from

quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...

Lamar Jackson Lamar Demeatrice Jackson Jr. (born January 7, 1997) is an American football quarterback for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Louisville, where he won the Heisman Trophy during his soph ...

and returned it for a 33 yard touchdown during the 28–24 win. This was Spillane's first turnover and touchdown of his career and he also finished the game with a team-high 11 tackles and a fumble recovery. In Week 10 against the

Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The c ...

, Spillane recorded his first career sack on rookie quarterback

Joe Burrow Joseph Lee Burrow (born December 10, 1996) is an American football quarterback for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League (NFL). Following a stint with Ohio State, Burrow played college football at LSU, where he won the Heisma ...

during the 36–10 win. He was placed on

injured reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in th ...

on December 12, 2020. He was activated from injured reserve on January 9, 2021. In the 2020 season, Spillane finished with two sacks, 45 total tackles, one interception, and four passes defended. Spillane re-signed with the Steelers on a one-year contract on March 24, 2021. In the 2021 season, Spillane finished with 56 total tackles in 14 games and four starts. In the 2022 season, Spillane finished with one sack, 79 total tackles, and four passes defended in 16 games and five starts. On March 11, 2022, the Steelers placed a restricted free agent tender on Spillane.

Las Vegas Raiders

On March 16, 2023, Spillane signed a two-year contract with the

. In Week 10, he recorded seven tackles, a sack, and an interception in a 16-12 win over the Jets, earning AFC Defensive Player of the Week.

Personal life

Spillane is the grandson of 1953

Heisman Trophy The Heisman Memorial Trophy (usually known colloquially as the Heisman Trophy or The Heisman) is awarded annually to the most outstanding player in college football. Winners epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and hard ...

winner,

College Football Hall of Fame The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and interactive attraction devoted to college football. The National Football Foundation (NFF) founded the Hall in 1951 to immortalize the players and coaches of college football that were vote ...

r and NFL halfback

Johnny Lattner John Joseph Lattner (October 24, 1932 – February 12, 2016) was an American football player. While playing college football for the University of Notre Dame, he won the Heisman Trophy in 1953. He also won the Maxwell Award twice, in 1952 and 1 ...

References

External links

Las Vegas Raiders bioWestern Michigan Broncos bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Spillane, Robert 1995 births Living people Players of American football from Oak Park, Illinois American football linebackers Western Michigan Broncos football players Tennessee Titans players Pittsburgh Steelers players Las Vegas Raiders players