Allen noticed how passionate Spiller was about football, being the popular younger kid that the older neighborhood kids wanted on their team. She decided to sign him up for Pop Warner. When Allen and Watkins went to sign Spiller up, him not being 7 yet made him ineligible to play.
Spiller could be on the team as a water boy, handing out cups to his sort-of teammates during timeouts. Once his job was complete, he had to get back on the sidelines. To say that Spiller excelled is a fair assessment. By his senior year of high school, the Floridian was ranked 19th nationally and was the No. She never missed a game, setting up her lawn chair in the stands and watching him compete in the sport he loved.
Spiller called her his biggest fan and critic. For games that required travel, Allen sought out a ride and offered to pay people to get her and her grandson to games.
He always kept a part of Allen with him throughout his career. Spiller was a first-team All-American at Clemson and still holds the ACC single-season and career records for all-purpose yards, compiling 2, yards in and finishing his career with 7, He was drafted ninth overall by the Buffalo Bills in He played for five NFL teams before hanging his cleats up. I texted him before the Fiesta Bowl and wished him well. I told him it was time to go get it done, and he texted me back the fist-pump emoji.
So I knew he was ready to go. I love being around this program. I live here in Greenville, S. I want to be involved. I go over there when I can, but I don't want to bombard them, because it's their time. I had my time. But when I do go over there, I try to just encourage or offer a little wisdom, help however I can, especially in the running backs room. I'm in contact with Wayne Gallman , talking to him about his game. I was able to get to more Clemson games this year than I normally can.
I would've rather been playing on Sundays, but I was able to be around Clemson more because of it. I went down for the Georgia Tech game. I went to a couple home games, and I can't wait to get to Tampa. When coach Tommy Bowden got fired in , coach Swinney took over as the interim coach for the remainder of the year. My senior year, they took the interim tag off him and made him the head coach. He played receiver at Alabama and he's a genius at finding mismatches all over the field.
He's so down-to-earth personality-wise. What you see is what you get. There is no phoniness. He treats every player the same -- there's no favoritism with him. That just goes back to his background of being a walk-on and having to earn his way onto Alabama's team. He didn't have an easier path like scholarship guys do. I think that played a role in how he's coached.
Starters get treated no differently than the fifth-string walk-on. He's able to relate to every player on the team because of that. He knows what a hard upbringing is, because he's been through it. I think that's why I relate to him so well. He also has a Christian faith that you can see. He doesn't press it on guys, but lets you know where he stands with it.
I'll see him this week when I watch the team practice in Tampa. We always embrace with a hug. With the way my season went this year, he would reach out and make sure I was in good spirits. He's very encouraging. You don't get that from every head coach. And it's not just me. Talk to any other guy. Before my senior year, coach Swinney put a lot of trust in me. We had a long conversation when I was deciding whether I was going to leave for the draft or come back for my senior year.
We both looked at the pros and cons and he said, "C. Because I'm going to ride you. You're going to be our mule. Spiller Running Back. Stats Career. Racing Positions. With the draft just days away, Broncos may have created a need at RB. Kareem Hunt reclaims featured back spot as Chiefs return to full strength.
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