Chad Spann (born August 4, 1988) is a former

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 wit ...

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 handoffs from the quarterback to rush the ball, to line up as a receiver to catch the ball, and block. The ...

. He was signed by the

Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 20 ...

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 ...

in 2011. He played college football at

Northern Illinois University Northern Illinois University (NIU) is a Public university, public research university in DeKalb, Illinois. It was founded as Northern Illinois State Normal School on May 22, 1895, by Illinois Governor John P. Altgeld as part of an expansion of ...

. In 2010, as a college senior, he rushed for 1,388 yards, led the nation with 22 rushing touchdowns, and contributed to the Huskies first 11-win season.

Early years

Spann attended

North Central High School North Central High School may refer to one of many high school in the United States: * North Central High School (Farmersburg, Indiana) *North Central High School (Indianapolis) *North Central High School (Louisiana), Lebeau, Louisiana * North Cen ...

in Indianapolis, where he was a first-team all-state selection his senior season. He holds the school single-season and career rushing yardage and touchdown records.

College career

As a college player, Spann established a new single-season touchdown record for Northern Illinois. Spann received the

Vern Smith Leadership Award The Mid-American Conference football awards are given annually by the Mid-American Conference (MAC) at the conclusion of each college football season. The conference gives out a total of five awards, the Offensive, Defensive, and Freshman Players ...

given by the

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 twe ...

College highlights

*2010 Vern Smith Leadership Award Winner *2010 MAC Offensive Player of the Year *2x 1st Team All MAC *Back to Back 1000 yd seasons *Led nation in rushing TDs (2010) *Second on NIU's all-time list for career rushing touchdowns *Walter Camp Foundation National Player of the Week (9/25)

College statistics

Professional career

Indianapolis Colts

On July 29, 2011, he signed with the

as an undrafted free agent. On September 4, 2011, he was placed on injured reserve due to a hamstring injury. On September 6, 2011, he received an injury settlement.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

On October 18, 2011, he signed with the

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South divisio ...

to join the practice squad. On November 7, 2011, he was released from the practice squad.

Pittsburgh Steelers

On January 4, 2012, he signed with 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 Stee ...

. On January 8, 2012, he played in the Steelers' playoff loss to the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquar ...

. On May 2, 2012, he was released.

New York Jets

Spann was signed by the New York Jets on July 27, 2013. He was released on August 26, 2013.

Houston Texans

On December 10, 2013, Spann signed with the Houston Texans. He played in one game for the Texans. He was released on May 15, 2014.

Saskatchewan Roughriders

Spann was signed to the

Saskatchewan Roughriders The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a professional Canadian football team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. The Roughriders compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division. The Roughriders were founded i ...

' practice roster on September 9, 2015. He was promoted to the active roster on October 23. He played in one game for the Roughriders in 2015, rushing twice for 17 yards. He suffered a torn Achilles while with the Roughriders. He was released by the team on December 15, 2015.

References

External links

Northern Illinois Huskies football bio
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Spann, Chad 1988 births Living people African-American players of American football African-American players of Canadian football American football running backs Canadian football running backs Houston Texans players Indianapolis Colts players New York Jets players Northern Illinois Huskies football players Pittsburgh Steelers players Players of American football from Indianapolis Saskatchewan Roughriders players Players of Canadian football from Indianapolis Tampa Bay Buccaneers players