Mark Speckman
Encyclopedia
Mark Speckman is the head coach for the Willamette University
football team in Salem, Oregon
, United States
. A California
native, he was born without hands and played football at the college level. He also works as a motivational speaker. As coach of the Willamette Bearcats
he has led the team to three playoff berths at the NCAA III level.
, in Belmont
, as the second child of four. Born without hands, he wore hooks until the age of 15, earning him the nickname of Captain Hook
. He convinced his parents that the hooks were not needed, and has never used them since.
After starring as a linebacker in high school, Speckman played football for Menlo
, a junior college
where he was a starter. He then went on to Azusa Pacific University
, playing at the NAIA
level. There he earned an honorable mention for All-American at the NAIA classification in 1976, and attention from the tabloid media as the Handless Linebacker.
In 1986, Speckman returned to Central California as Merced High School's next football coach, a position he held for eight seasons. At Merced, he led those teams to six consecutive Central California Conference titles, including quite a few of those where his teams went undefeated in the CCC. In 1990, Speckman's Bears went 14-0 that earned them the mythical state Division I crown. His 1989 and '90 squads won back-to-back Sac-Joaquin Section D-I titles, and played in six section championship games from 1988 to 1993. During his tenure, his teams received numerous state and national rankings. Speckman left Merced after the '93 season to teach and start the new football program at Golden Valley High School
, Merced's second high school. His high school coaching record was 113-48-3. He also worked as a teacher at that time. During 17 years of coaching high school, he also ran a program targeted at helping disadvantaged kids.
that competes at the NCAA
Division III level. When Hawkins left the school to coach at Boise State University
in Idaho
, Willamette hired Speckman to serve as head coach of the team. In 1997, while Speckman was still offensive coordinator, Liz Heaston
was one of the teams' kickers, and she became the first female player in college football history.
As Willamette's coach, he has implemented the Fly offense. Speckman is considered one of the top experts on that offense. The team has made the playoffs in 1999, 2004, and 2008. After the 1999 season, he was named coach of the year for the Northwest Conference. In 2004, The Oregonian
named him one of the 25 most influential figures in sports in the state of Oregon, coming in at 24.
Speckman was considered as a possible replacement for Tim Walsh
in early 2007 before Jerry Glanville
was hired as the new head coach at Portland State University
. In June 2007, Speckman was inducted into the San Mateo County, California
, Sports Hall of Fame, and was a finalist for the Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year. In 2008, he led the team to a 10-0 regular season, a ranking as high as fourth in Division III, and a first round playoff win. The team lost in the second round of the playoffs to defending champion Wisconsin-Whitewater
30-27, and finished the year 11-1.
Despite having no hands, Speckman does not let this handicap slow him down. He can still write, type, use a cell phone, drive, and play racquetball
, and he played the trombone in high school. He uses these aspects of overcoming a handicap in motivational speeches
around the state and country.
Willamette University
Willamette University is an American private institution of higher learning located in Salem, Oregon. Founded in 1842, it is the oldest university in the Western United States. Willamette is a member of the Annapolis Group of colleges, and is made up of an undergraduate College of Liberal Arts and...
football team in Salem, Oregon
Salem, Oregon
Salem is the capital of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County. It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River, which runs north through the city. The river forms the boundary between Marion and Polk counties, and the city neighborhood...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. A California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
native, he was born without hands and played football at the college level. He also works as a motivational speaker. As coach of the Willamette Bearcats
Willamette Bearcats
The Willamette Bearcats are the athletic teams of Willamette University in Salem, Oregon, United States. Competing at the non-scholarship National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III level, the school fields twenty teams. Most teams compete in the Northwest Conference with their primary...
he has led the team to three playoff berths at the NCAA III level.
Early life
Mark Speckman was born to Don and Jan Speckman. He grew up south of San Francisco, CaliforniaSan Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
, in Belmont
Belmont, California
Belmont is a city in San Mateo County, California, United States. It is in the San Francisco Bay Area, located half-way down the San Francisco Peninsula between San Mateo and San Carlos. It was originally part of the Rancho de las Pulgas, for which one of its main roads, the Alameda de las Pulgas,...
, as the second child of four. Born without hands, he wore hooks until the age of 15, earning him the nickname of Captain Hook
Captain Hook
Captain James Hook is the main antagonist of J. M. Barrie's play Peter Pan; or, the Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up and its various adaptations. The character is a villainous pirate captain of the Jolly Roger brig, and lord of the pirate village/harbour in Neverland, where he is widely feared. Most...
. He convinced his parents that the hooks were not needed, and has never used them since.
After starring as a linebacker in high school, Speckman played football for Menlo
Menlo College
Menlo College, often referred to as Menlo, is a private, four-year baccalaureate college specializing in business located in the Silicon Valley town of Atherton, California.-Campus:...
, a junior college
Junior college
The term junior college refers to different educational institutions in different countries.-India:In India, most states provide schooling through 12th grade...
where he was a starter. He then went on to Azusa Pacific University
Azusa Pacific University
Azusa Pacific University is a private, inter-denominational, evangelical Christian university located near Los Angeles in suburban Azusa, California. It was founded in 1899, with classes opening on March 3, 1900 in Whittier, California. It began offering degrees in 1939...
, playing at the NAIA
National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics is an athletic association that organizes college and university-level athletic programs. Membership in the NAIA consists of smaller colleges and universities across the United States. The NAIA allows colleges and universities outside the USA...
level. There he earned an honorable mention for All-American at the NAIA classification in 1976, and attention from the tabloid media as the Handless Linebacker.
Coaching
Speckman took up coaching football after his playing career, first at the high school level. His first head coaching gig was at Livingston High School in 1981, where he introduced the famous Fly offense that is primarily a run-based offense; the fullback and tailback are split behind the quarterback, while the Fly back runs in motion almost every play. His 1982 Wolfpack squad won a share of the Golden Valley League title, missing the Sac-Joaquin Section Division II playoffs by a coin flip. Speckman was picked to coach the 1983 Lions All-Star Football Game, as this would be one of many he would coach in Central California from the early 1980s to the early 1990s. He left Livingston after two seasons to teach and become the head coach at Gilroy High School for the 1983-85 seasons.In 1986, Speckman returned to Central California as Merced High School's next football coach, a position he held for eight seasons. At Merced, he led those teams to six consecutive Central California Conference titles, including quite a few of those where his teams went undefeated in the CCC. In 1990, Speckman's Bears went 14-0 that earned them the mythical state Division I crown. His 1989 and '90 squads won back-to-back Sac-Joaquin Section D-I titles, and played in six section championship games from 1988 to 1993. During his tenure, his teams received numerous state and national rankings. Speckman left Merced after the '93 season to teach and start the new football program at Golden Valley High School
Golden Valley High School (Merced)
Golden Valley High School is a high school located within the Merced Union High School District in the community of Merced, California. The school first opened in August 1994, with its first class of seniors graduating on June 5, 1996...
, Merced's second high school. His high school coaching record was 113-48-3. He also worked as a teacher at that time. During 17 years of coaching high school, he also ran a program targeted at helping disadvantaged kids.
Willamette University
In 1995, Willamette coach Dan Hawkins hired Speckman to serve as offensive coordinator and offensive line coach for the Bearcats. Willamette is a small liberal arts college in the Willamette ValleyWillamette Valley
The Willamette Valley is the most populated region in the state of Oregon of the United States. Located in the state's northwest, the region is surrounded by tall mountain ranges to the east, west and south and the valley's floor is broad, flat and fertile because of Ice Age conditions...
that competes at the NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
Division III level. When Hawkins left the school to coach at Boise State University
Boise State University
Boise State University is a public university located in Boise, Idaho. Originally founded in 1932 as a junior college by the Episcopal Church, the university became an independent institution in 1934, and has been awarding baccalaureate and master degrees since 1965...
in Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
, Willamette hired Speckman to serve as head coach of the team. In 1997, while Speckman was still offensive coordinator, Liz Heaston
Liz Heaston
Elizabeth "Liz" Heaston Thompson is an American athlete who is the first woman ever to score in a college football game. She accomplished this feat on October 18, 1997 as a placekicker for the Willamette University Bearcats, which was competing in the National Association of Intercollegiate...
was one of the teams' kickers, and she became the first female player in college football history.
As Willamette's coach, he has implemented the Fly offense. Speckman is considered one of the top experts on that offense. The team has made the playoffs in 1999, 2004, and 2008. After the 1999 season, he was named coach of the year for the Northwest Conference. In 2004, The Oregonian
The Oregonian
The Oregonian is the major daily newspaper in Portland, Oregon, owned by Advance Publications. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper on the U.S. west coast, founded as a weekly by Thomas J. Dryer on December 4, 1850...
named him one of the 25 most influential figures in sports in the state of Oregon, coming in at 24.
Speckman was considered as a possible replacement for Tim Walsh
Tim Walsh (football)
Tim Walsh is a college football coach, currently the head coach of the Cal Poly Mustangs. He was previously the offensive coordinator for the Army Black Knights, and the head coach at Portland State and Sonoma State....
in early 2007 before Jerry Glanville
Jerry Glanville
Jerry Glanville is a former American football player and current head coach of the Hartford Colonials of the United Football League, former NASCAR driver and owner, and sportscaster in the United States. He served the head coach of the Houston Oilers from 1986 to 1990 and the Atlanta Falcons from...
was hired as the new head coach at Portland State University
Portland State University
Portland State University is a public state urban university located in downtown Portland, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1946, it has the largest overall enrollment of any university in the state of Oregon, including undergraduate and graduate students. It is also the only public university in...
. In June 2007, Speckman was inducted into the San Mateo County, California
San Mateo County, California
San Mateo County is a county located in the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California. It covers most of the San Francisco Peninsula just south of San Francisco, and north of Santa Clara County. San Francisco International Airport is located at the northern end of the county, and...
, Sports Hall of Fame, and was a finalist for the Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year. In 2008, he led the team to a 10-0 regular season, a ranking as high as fourth in Division III, and a first round playoff win. The team lost in the second round of the playoffs to defending champion Wisconsin-Whitewater
UW-Whitewater Warhawks
The University of Wisconsin–Whitewater Warhawks are the athletic teams of the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater. Twenty Warhawk athletic teams compete in NCAA Division III...
30-27, and finished the year 11-1.
Despite having no hands, Speckman does not let this handicap slow him down. He can still write, type, use a cell phone, drive, and play racquetball
Racquetball
For other sports often called "paddleball", see Paddleball .Racquetball is a racquet sport played with a hollow rubber ball in an indoor or outdoor court...
, and he played the trombone in high school. He uses these aspects of overcoming a handicap in motivational speeches
Motivational speaker
A motivational speaker or inspirational speaker is a speaker who makes speeches intended to motivate or inspire an audience. In a business context, they are employed to communicate company strategy with clarity and help employees to see the future in a positive light and inspire workers to pull...
around the state and country.