Chris Spielman
Encyclopedia
Charles Christopher "Chris" Spielman (born October 11, 1965) is a former American football
player and is currently an analyst for ESPN
's coverage of college football
games.
in Massillon, Ohio
, where he was awarded the Dial Award
for the national high-school scholar-athlete of the year in 1983. He is a 1988 graduate of Ohio State University
with a degree in recreation education. He was a two-time All-American, intercepted 11 passes, and won the Lombardi Award
as the best college football
lineman or linebacker. Spielman was drafted 29th in the 1988 NFL Draft
, by the Detroit Lions
.
Spielman played eight seasons with the Lions (1988–95), and was a defensive stalwart during the team’s run to four playoff appearances, two NFC Central titles, and a berth in the 1992 NFC Championship Game.
He captained the Lions defense that was one of the best statistically in the NFL in the mid-1990s. Spielman is Detroit’s all-time leader in career tackles with 1,138 (since the team began recording tackles statistically in 1973.)
He also recorded 10 sacks, four interceptions, 30 pass defenses, 13 forced fumbles and 17 fumble recoveries during his Lions’ career. He was the first Lion to lead the team in tackles seven consecutive seasons since 1973, including the team’s highest single-season tally of 195 tackles in 1994.
Spielman represented the Lions in four Pro Bowls (1990–92, 1995) and was named the team’s defensive MVP in 1993 and 1994. He played for the Buffalo Bills
in 1996 and 1997. In 1996, he set a team and personal record with 206 tackles. His 1997 season was limited because of a neck injury that required spinal surgery.
He returned to the NFL
in the 1999 season, with the Cleveland Browns
. He retired before the regular season began, after suffering another neck injury. Spielman is also notable for being one of the players notable NFL Draft
"guru" Mel Kiper, Jr.
has "missed" on, Kiper admitting in a 2001 post that he had underrated the linebacker. In April 2009 Chris Spielman was elected into the College Football Hall of Fame
. His induction came in July, 2010.
. After two years with FSN, Spielman joined ESPN
in 2001. He serves as a color analyst for college football broadcasts, as well as studio analyst for college football. Spielman has won praise from some broadcasting peers, including Sports Illustrated
's Dr. Z
, who wrote that "...Chris Spielman will come up with some startlingly accurate observations too".
Spielman is also a contributor to the Columbus, Ohio
based FM radio station 97.1 The Fan; 97.1 is an ESPN Radio
affiliate. When not on assignment for ESPN, Spielman is a co-host of the 1-3pm show called The Big Show, along with Bruce Hooley and Kirk Herbstreit
. He is a former co-host of the 12-2pm show "Spielman on Sports" with Mike Ricordati. In various shows of Spielman on Sports, Spielman has announced his admiration for the bull Bodacious.
His admiration for the deceased rodeo bull inspired Eddie George's Grille 27 to name a drink after it, naming it Spielman's Bodacious Bull. Its contents are bloody mary mix, tabasco sauce, and steak sauce. Spielman also appears every Tuesday afternoon on AM 1270 WXYT, a sports-talk radio station in Detroit
. Spielman also served as a color analyst for the Detroit Lions during the preseason. In 2006, Spielman hosted a reality series on ESPNU
called Summer House.
of the Columbus Destroyers
, an Arena Football League team, in 2005. He coached one season, compiling a 2-15 record.
. Both she and her husband were active in raising funds for breast cancer research. Ultimately, however, she died on November 19, 2009, after the disease returned for the fifth time. While undergoing treatment Stefanie had lost her hair, at which time Chris voluntarily shaved his head in solidarity with his wife. The Spielman family resides in Upper Arlington, a suburb of Columbus, Ohio
.
His elder brother is the current Minnesota Vikings
' vice president of player personnel, Rick Spielman
.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player and is currently an analyst for ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
's coverage of college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
games.
Football career
Spielman graduated from Washington High SchoolMassillon Washington High School
Massillon Washington High School, is a 9 to 12 grade secondary school within the Massillon City School District located in the city of Massillon, Ohio. It serves students within the city of Massillon as well as parts of Tuscarawas Township...
in Massillon, Ohio
Massillon, Ohio
Massillon is a city located in Stark County in the U.S. state of Ohio, approximately 8 miles to the west of Canton, Ohio, 20 miles south of Akron, Ohio, and 50 miles south of Cleveland, Ohio. The population was 32,149 at the 2010 census....
, where he was awarded the Dial Award
Dial Award
For the literary award presented by The Dial magazine in the 1920s, see The Dial.The Dial Award was presented annually by the Dial Corporation to the male and female American high-school athlete/scholar of the year.-Awardees:...
for the national high-school scholar-athlete of the year in 1983. He is a 1988 graduate of Ohio State University
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State, is a public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the third largest university campus in the United States...
with a degree in recreation education. He was a two-time All-American, intercepted 11 passes, and won the Lombardi Award
Lombardi Award
The Rotary Lombardi Award is awarded annually to the best college football lineman or linebacker. The Lombardi Award program was approved by the Rotary Club in Houston in 1970 shortly after the death of Vince Lombardi. The committee outlined the criteria for eligibility for the award, which...
as the best college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
lineman or linebacker. Spielman was drafted 29th in the 1988 NFL Draft
1988 NFL Draft
The 1988 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 24–25, 1988. The league also held a supplemental draft after the regular draft and...
, by the Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
.
Spielman played eight seasons with the Lions (1988–95), and was a defensive stalwart during the team’s run to four playoff appearances, two NFC Central titles, and a berth in the 1992 NFC Championship Game.
He captained the Lions defense that was one of the best statistically in the NFL in the mid-1990s. Spielman is Detroit’s all-time leader in career tackles with 1,138 (since the team began recording tackles statistically in 1973.)
He also recorded 10 sacks, four interceptions, 30 pass defenses, 13 forced fumbles and 17 fumble recoveries during his Lions’ career. He was the first Lion to lead the team in tackles seven consecutive seasons since 1973, including the team’s highest single-season tally of 195 tackles in 1994.
Spielman represented the Lions in four Pro Bowls (1990–92, 1995) and was named the team’s defensive MVP in 1993 and 1994. He played for the Buffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
in 1996 and 1997. In 1996, he set a team and personal record with 206 tackles. His 1997 season was limited because of a neck injury that required spinal surgery.
He returned to the NFL
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
in the 1999 season, with the Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. He retired before the regular season began, after suffering another neck injury. Spielman is also notable for being one of the players notable NFL Draft
NFL Draft
The National Football League Draft is an annual event in which the National Football League teams select eligible college football players and it is their most common source of player recruitment. The basic design of the draft is each team is given a position in the drafting order in reverse order...
"guru" Mel Kiper, Jr.
Mel Kiper, Jr.
Mel Kiper Jr. in Baltimore, Maryland is an American football analyst for the ESPN television channel. He has served as an analyst for ESPN's annual NFL draft coverage since 1984, providing in-depth information on the nation's potential draft picks.-Career:With the emergence of ESPN2 and ESPN.com,...
has "missed" on, Kiper admitting in a 2001 post that he had underrated the linebacker. In April 2009 Chris Spielman was elected into the College Football Hall of Fame
College Football Hall of Fame
The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and museum devoted to college football. Located in South Bend, Indiana, it is connected to a convention center and situated in the city's renovated downtown district, two miles south of the University of Notre Dame campus. It is slated to move...
. His induction came in July, 2010.
Broadcasting career
Chris Spielman's broadcasting career started in 1999, as an NFL studio-show analyst for Fox Sports NetFox Sports Net
The Fox Sports Regional Networks, or simply Fox Sports Net , are a collection of cable TV regional sports networks in the United States owned and operated by News Corporation.- Beginnings :...
. After two years with FSN, Spielman joined ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
in 2001. He serves as a color analyst for college football broadcasts, as well as studio analyst for college football. Spielman has won praise from some broadcasting peers, including Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
's Dr. Z
Paul Zimmerman
Paul Lionel Zimmerman is the son of Charles S. Zimmerman and Rose Zimmerman. Zimmerman, also known to readers as "Dr. Z", is an American football sportswriter who wrote for the weekly magazine Sports Illustrated, as well as the magazine's website, SI.com. He is sometimes confused with Paul D...
, who wrote that "...Chris Spielman will come up with some startlingly accurate observations too".
Spielman is also a contributor to the Columbus, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
based FM radio station 97.1 The Fan; 97.1 is an ESPN Radio
ESPN Radio
ESPN Radio is an American sports radio network. It was launched on January 1, 1992 under the original banner of "SportsRadio ESPN." ESPN Radio is located at ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut...
affiliate. When not on assignment for ESPN, Spielman is a co-host of the 1-3pm show called The Big Show, along with Bruce Hooley and Kirk Herbstreit
Kirk Herbstreit
Kirk Herbstreit is an Emmy Award-winning analyst for ESPN's College GameDay, a television program covering college football and a provider of color commentary during college football games on ESPN and ABC. He appears annually as a commentator in EA Sports' NCAA Football. He was a quarterback on...
. He is a former co-host of the 12-2pm show "Spielman on Sports" with Mike Ricordati. In various shows of Spielman on Sports, Spielman has announced his admiration for the bull Bodacious.
His admiration for the deceased rodeo bull inspired Eddie George's Grille 27 to name a drink after it, naming it Spielman's Bodacious Bull. Its contents are bloody mary mix, tabasco sauce, and steak sauce. Spielman also appears every Tuesday afternoon on AM 1270 WXYT, a sports-talk radio station in Detroit
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
. Spielman also served as a color analyst for the Detroit Lions during the preseason. In 2006, Spielman hosted a reality series on ESPNU
ESPNU
ESPNU is a television channel that specializes in college sports, and is produced by, affiliated with and owned by parent network ESPN. ESPNU originates out of ESPN Regional Television's ESPNU (often referred to as The U) is a television channel that specializes in college sports, and is produced...
called Summer House.
Coaching career
Spielman was the coachHead coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...
of the Columbus Destroyers
Columbus Destroyers
The Columbus Destroyers were an Arena Football League team based in Columbus, Ohio. The team was founded in as the Buffalo Destroyers, based in Buffalo, New York, and relocated to Columbus in . They folded along with the original incarnation of the AFL following the 2008 season, after a total of...
, an Arena Football League team, in 2005. He coached one season, compiling a 2-15 record.
Family
Chris and Stefanie Spielman have four children, Madison, Noah, Macy and Audrey. Stefanie Spielman survived four bouts with breast cancerBreast cancer
Breast cancer is cancer originating from breast tissue, most commonly from the inner lining of milk ducts or the lobules that supply the ducts with milk. Cancers originating from ducts are known as ductal carcinomas; those originating from lobules are known as lobular carcinomas...
. Both she and her husband were active in raising funds for breast cancer research. Ultimately, however, she died on November 19, 2009, after the disease returned for the fifth time. While undergoing treatment Stefanie had lost her hair, at which time Chris voluntarily shaved his head in solidarity with his wife. The Spielman family resides in Upper Arlington, a suburb of Columbus, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
.
His elder brother is the current Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
' vice president of player personnel, Rick Spielman
Rick Spielman
Rick Spielman is currently the Vice President of Player Personnel of the NFL's Minnesota Vikings. He formerly worked for ESPN on NFL Live.Spielman is the older brother of Chris Spielman, the former Detroit Lions linebacker.-Playing career:...
.
External links
- ChrisSpielman.com
- College football career summary from the Ohio State UniversityOhio State UniversityThe Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State, is a public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the third largest university campus in the United States...
website - ESPN Biography
- Dr. Z's SI.com article, including praise for Spielman
- 1460 The Fan "Spielman on Sports" page
- Columbus Destroyers Official Website
- Stefanie Spielman Fund for Breast Cancer Research