John Robert Spinks (August 15, 1930September 29, 1994) was an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

player who was a fullback for five seasons in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the Alcorn A&M Braves (now Alcorn State). He played in the NFL for 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 of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...

(1952),

Chicago Cardinals The professional American football team now known as the Arizona Cardinals previously played in Chicago, Illinois, as the Chicago Cardinals from 1898 to 1959 before relocating to St. Louis, Missouri, for the 1960 through 1987 seasons. Roots ca ...

(1953),

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...

(1955–1956), and

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...

(1956–1957). Spinks is the namesake of

Jack Spinks Stadium The Casem Spinks Stadium is a 22,500-seat multi-purpose stadium in Lorman, Mississippi, which is the home field of the Alcorn State Braves college football team. The stadium is surrounded by the campus of Alcorn State University and is adjacent t ...

, home of the Alcorn State Braves.

Biography

Early years

John Spinks — known as "Johnny" in his younger years"Negro College Grid Classic to Be Played Here: Alcorn and Jackson College to Meet at City Park Saturday,"
''Vicksburg Post,'' Oct. 20, 1949, p. 13. and "Jack" as an adult — was born February 4, 1930, in

Toomsuba, Mississippi Toomsuba is a census-designated place (CDP) and unincorporated community in Lauderdale County, Mississippi, United States. Its population was 778 as of the 2020 census. Its ZIP code is 39364. The community is named after Toomsuba Creek. Geog ...

College career

He attended Alcorn A&M College, a historically black school located in

Lorman, Mississippi Lorman is an unincorporated community located in Jefferson County, Mississippi, United States. Lorman is approximately north of Fayette, near Highway 61 on Mississippi Highway 552. Lorman is the nearest community to Alcorn State University ...

, where he played fullback for the

Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. The club was founded in Boston, ...

. Powerfully built and tipping the scales at 220 pounds, Spinks was regarded as a key play]er for the team even as a sophomore during the 1949 season. Spinks helped Alcorn A&M win the

South Central Athletic Conference The South Central Athletic Conference (SCAC) was an intercollegiate athletic conference of historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) that existed from 1935 to 1961. The conference's members were located in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississipp ...

(SCAC) football title in 1949, playing extended minutes and scoring a touchdown in a 45–6 drubbing of

Rust College Rust College is a private historically black college in Holly Springs, Mississippi. Founded in 1866, it is the second-oldest private college in the state. Affiliated with the United Methodist Church, it is one of ten historically black colleges ...

Holly Springs, Mississippi Holly Springs is a city in and the county seat of Marshall County, Mississippi, Marshall County, Mississippi, United States, near the border with Tennessee to the north. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 6,96 ...

in the final conference game of the season. The Braves would finish the season with a record of 7–1–2, their sole blemishes coming in the season's final three games against strong competition. Head coach Dwight "Red" Fisher led his charges to another successful season in 1950, finishing with a record of 8–2 while outscoring their opponents 319 points to just 68. Spinks was already being recognized as a potential

All-America team The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

prospect, as a "big" 215-pounder "who combines speed and courage with his weight" and who was "hard to stop and a consistent ground gainer." Alcorn A&M's record of 8 wins and 2 losses would be repeated during Spinks' senior season of 1951, with the team again rattling off seven conference wins before running into trouble late in the season.

Professional career

Spinks was selected by the

of the

(NFL) in the 11th round of the

1952 NFL draft The 1952 NFL draft was held on January 17, 1952, at Hotel Statler in New York. Selections made by New York Yanks were assigned to the new Dallas Texans. This was the sixth year that the first overall pick was a bonus pick determined by lottery ...

, with the team making him the 126th overall selection. During his 1952 rookie season, Spinks — the only black player on the Pittsburgh roster — was used primarily in a blocking capacity at fullback."Jack Spinks statistics,"
Pro Football Reference, www.pro-football-reference.com Although he saw action in 10 games, starting 3 of them, he carried the ball just 22 times for 94 yards, with his long carry going for a 42 yard gain. Ironically, these would be the only rushing yards gained in a five year NFL career. As the 1953 season approached, he remained on the Steelers' roster, scoring a touchdown in a September 9 preseason game against the

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East ...

on a 10 yard run."Hall Haynes' Wrist Fractured in Costly Defeat by Steelers: Loss of 3 Men in First Half Hurts Chances,"
''Washington Evening Star,'' Sept. 10, 1953, pp. C1
C3

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Spinks, Jack 1930 births 1994 deaths People from Lauderdale County, Mississippi 20th-century American sportsmen Players of American football from Mississippi American football fullbacks Alcorn State Braves football players Pittsburgh Steelers players Chicago Cardinals players Green Bay Packers players New York Giants players