Jim Spruill
American basketball and football player (1923–2006)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
James Winfred Spruill (February 26, 1923 – January 8, 2006) was an American professional basketball and football player.[1][2]
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 26, 1923 Dublin, Texas, U.S. |
| Died | January 8, 2006 (aged 82) Boulder City, Nevada, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Listed weight | 225 lb (102 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Dublin (Dublin, Texas) |
| College | Rice (1941–1943, 1946–1948) |
| BAA draft | 1948: undrafted |
| Position | Guard |
| Career history | |
| 1948 | Indianapolis Jets |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball Reference | |
Early life
Spruill was born in Dublin, Texas, to Clint and Addie Spruill.[3] He first played football at Dublin High School, where he earned four letters and All-District honours as a tailback.[4]
College career
Spruill won a basketball scholarship to Rice University where he also played college football.[5][1]
Professional career
Following his graduation, Spruill played professional football for the Baltimore Colts of the All-America Football Conference in the 1948 and 1949 seasons.[2] He played in 26 total games, starting 15.[2]
Spruill also played in the Basketball Association of America for the Indianapolis Jets in just one game during the 1948–49 BAA season.[1] In that game he scored two points and recorded three personal fouls.[1][6] He was recommended to Jets coach Burl Friddle by Colts coach Cecil Isbell.[7]
Coaching career
In 1951, Spruill became a high school football coach at Silsbee, Texas. He later coached at Durango High School in Durango, Colorado, Amphitheater High School in Tucson, Arizona, and Lompoc High School in Lompoc, California.[8] He coached football at LHS from 1965 to 1974 before serving as athletic director until 1981.[9][5]
Spruill died in 2006 at Boulder City, Nevada, at age 82.[10]
BAA career statistics
| Legend | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | Games played | ||||
| FG% | Field-goal percentage | ||||
| FT% | Free-throw percentage | ||||
| APG | Assists per game | ||||
| PPG | Points per game | ||||
Regular season
| Year | Team | GP | FG% | FT% | APG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1948–49 | Indianapolis | 1 | .333 | .000 | .0 | 2.0 |
| Career | 1 | .333 | .000 | .0 | 2.0 | |
