James J. Spavital (September 15, 1926 – March 7, 1993) was an American

gridiron football Gridiron football ( ),"Gridiron football"
''Encyclopædia Britannica'' ...

player, coach and executive in six different professional football leagues. He served as the head coach of the

Winnipeg Blue Bombers The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are a professional Canadian football team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Blue Bombers compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division (CFL), West division. They play thei ...

of the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division (CFL), East Division and f ...

(CFL) from 1970 to 1973 and as head coach of the Chicago Fire of the

World Football League The World Football League (WFL) was an American football league that played one full season in 1974 in sports, 1974 and most of its second in 1975 in sports, 1975. Although the league's proclaimed ambition was to bring American football onto a w ...

(WFL) in 1974. Spavital was the general manager of the CFL's

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 in 19 ...

from 1979 to 1982 and the

Michigan Panthers The Michigan Panthers were a professional American football team based in Metro Detroit. The Panthers competed in the United States Football League (USFL) as a member of the Western Conference and Central Division. The team played its home gam ...

of the

United States Football League The United States Football League (USFL) was a professional American football league that played for three seasons, 1983 through 1985. The league played a spring/summer schedule in each of its active seasons. The 1986 season was scheduled to be ...

(USFL) in 1983.

Playing career

Spavital played for the

All-America Football Conference The All-America Football Conference (AAFC) was a major professional American football league that challenged the established National Football League (NFL) from 1946 to 1949. One of the NFL's most formidable challengers, the AAFC attracted many ...

Los Angeles Dons The Los Angeles Dons were an American football team in the newly formed football league the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) from 1946 Los Angeles Dons season, 1946 to 1949 Los Angeles Dons season, 1949, and played their home games in the L ...

in 1949 and 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 ...

Baltimore Colts The Baltimore Colts were a professional American football team that played in Baltimore from 1953 to 1983, when owner Robert Irsay moved the franchise to Indianapolis. The team was named for Baltimore's history of horse breeding and racing. It w ...

during the 1950 season. As a starter in 1950 he had 246 rushing yards and 238 receiving. His 96-yard rush against the

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 ...

on November 5, 1950, is the fourth longest run from scrimmage in NFL history. As an Airborne reservist, Spavital was called up in 1951 to serve in the Korean War. His reporting date prevented him from playing a full NFL season so he moved north of the border to play for the

of the

(CFL) enabling him to play a complete season prior to reporting for duty. Wear and tear on his feet effectively ended his playing career. He was also drafted by the

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 ...

in the first round of the 1951 NFL draft after the

folded.

Coaching career

In 1955, Spavital joined the

Oklahoma State Oklahoma State University (informally Oklahoma State or OSU) is a public land-grant research university in Stillwater, Oklahoma, United States. The university was established in 1890 under the legislation of the Morrill Act. Originally known ...

coaching staff under coach Cliff Speegle. In 1968 he joined the

as an assistant. In 1970 he was hired by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers as

head coach A head coach, senior coach, or manager is a professional responsible for training and developing athletes within a sports team. This role often has a higher public profile and salary than other coaching positions. In some sports, such as associat ...

. In four seasons as Bombers head coach, he had a 23–39–2 record and two playoff appearances. In 1974, Spavital was hired as head coach of the Chicago Fire of the

. The team finished 7–13 and folded after the season. In 1975 he joined the New York Jets, coaching the offensive backfield. The following season, he again coached the offensive backfield coach for

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...

coach Monte Clark. In 1977 Spavital returned to the CFL as an assistant coach with the

Calgary Stampeders The Calgary Stampeders are a professional Canadian football team based in Calgary, Alberta. The Stampeders compete in the West Division (CFL), West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The club plays its home games at McMahon Stadium a ...

, rejoining a fellow assistant from Saskatchewan, Jack Gotta. In 1981 he was hired as general manager of the

. Spavital left the Roughriders after the season to join the

of the

(USFL). In the league's first year, the Panthers won the USFL championship, defeating the Philadelphia Stars title game. On September 9, 1983, he resigned his post as Panthers GM. In 1989 Spavital was hired by Bill Byrne and Hubie Byrne to help put together a new professional football league to begin play in the spring or summer of 1990. Spavital was the director of football operations for the Professional Spring Football League (PSFL) for two years before plans for the league were abandoned. Spavital's son, Steve, was the head football coach at Broken Arrow Senior High in

Broken Arrow, Oklahoma Broken Arrow is a city in Tulsa and Wagoner counties in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. It is the largest suburb of Tulsa. According to the 2020 census, Broken Arrow has a population of 113,540 residents and is the 4th most populous city in the s ...

. Spavital is also the grandfather of current Texas State head coach

Jake Spavital Jacob Stephen Spavital (born May 1, 1985) is an American college football coach who is the offensive coordinator for the Baylor Bears. He previously served as the offensive coordinator at Cal Golden Bears in 2023. Coaching career Early coachin ...

and Texas State

defensive coordinator A defensive coordinator (DC) is a coach responsible for a gridiron football team's defense. Generally, the defensive coordinator, offensive coordinator and special teams coordinator represent the second level of a team's coaching structure, wit ...

Zac Spavital.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Spavital, Jim 1926 births 1993 deaths 20th-century American businesspeople American football executives American football fullbacks Players of Canadian football from Oklahoma City Canadian football fullbacks Baltimore Colts (1947–1950) players Calgary Stampeders coaches Chicago Fire (WFL) coaches Los Angeles Dons players New York Jets coaches Oklahoma State Cowboys football coaches Oklahoma State Cowboys football players San Francisco 49ers coaches Saskatchewan Roughriders coaches Saskatchewan Roughriders general managers Winnipeg Blue Bombers coaches Winnipeg Blue Bombers players Players of American football from Oklahoma City