C.J. Spiller
From NCAA College Football Information & Resource
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C.J. Spiller (born Clifford Spiller, Jr. on Aug. 15, 1987 in Lake Butler, Florida) plays running back for the Clemson University Tigers in the NCAA college football tournament. After a sensational rookie season that saw him reaping several postseason accolades that include a Freshman All-America selection, Spiller continued to split running back chores with All-ACC rusher James Davis while at the same time moonlighting as a kickoff returner for the Tigers. He finished the season with a 29-yard kick-off return average (#14 in the nation) and became the first in school history to return two kickoffs for a touchdown in consecutive games to earn for himself Clemson's special teams MVP award. He was also named the offensive MVP of the Chick-Fil-A Bowl where he rushed for an 83-yard score which stands as the longest play of any kind in Clemson's bowl game history.
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[edit] Personal Life
C.J. is the son of Patricia Watkins. He grew up in Lake Butler, Florida which is in the middle of Union County and only has 1,971 residents. As a kid, C.J. acted as a ballboy for the Tigers and star quarterback Andrew Zow, who led Union County to three straight Florida state titles from 1994-96. C.J. has a daughter to longtime girlfriend Krystal Brown, named Shania. C.J. became a committed Christian after the death of his grandmother, Nettie Allen, in 2000 which drew him closer to his faith at Victory Christian Center. He majored in sociology at Clemson University. He wears #28 in honor of Warrick Dunn, his favorite running back.
[edit] High School
Spiller's athletic ability, versatility, and speed made him one of the most sought after talents in high school. He donned the Union County High school jersey and played under coach Buddy Nobles. On the track field, Spiller was a state AA 100m (10.42) and 200m champion and also won the 100m and was second in the 200m at the Golden West Meet, a national meet held in June, 2006 in California. He also played shooting guard for the school's basketball team. However, Spiller was most renowned for his efforts on the football field where he was an EA Sports Second Team and US Army All-American selection. As a junior, Spiller ran for 1,415 yards and 20 touchdowns on 120 carries enroute to being named to the class 2B All-State first team. The following year, Spiller broke out with 176 carries for 1,840 yards (10.5 average) and 30 scoring runs with one kickoff returned for a TD to go along with his 15 receptions for 249 yards to close out his high school campaign. He ended his career at Union County with 541 carries for 5,511 yards and 93 total touchdowns, including 85 rushing, three receiving, three on kickoff returns, and two on punt returns to earn an all-state selection three times.
Spiller was a highly rated player coming into college, with Rivals.com ranking him as the #1 all-purpose running back and #8 player in the nation and #1 player in Florida, CollegeFootballNews.com rating him as the #6 running back and the #43 player in the nation, Tom Lemming ranking him as the #12 player in the nation, Scout.com grading him as the #4 running back and #16 player in the nation, SuperPrep ranking him #4 rusher and #23 player in the nation, and ESPN.com rating him as the #47 player in the nation. A first team All-South selection by Countdown to Signing Day, Spiller also participated in both the U.S. Army All-Star game in San Antonio, TX and in the California-Florida High School All-Star Game.
The 5-foot-11, 190 pound rusher then went on to become the first Clemson recruit since Rudy Harris in 1989 to be selected in the USA Today All-American and Parade All-American First Teams.
[edit] College
Clemson wide receivers coach Dabo Swinney, who recruits Florida for Clemson, convinced Spiller to make an official visit to the university over Martin Luther King Day weekend. Ten days before the national signing day, Spiller already told Swinney that he would go to Clemson but wanted to keep his commitment a secret as he is still to make his visit to both USC and Florida.
[edit] 2006
Spiller made his debut against Florida Atlantic (8th freshman RB to start an opener since 1953) where he rushed six times for 18 yards and also caught two passes for 17 yards. The following week, he had 5 runs for 31 yards but scored his first TD on an 82-yard score which stands as the 4th longest catch overall and the longest reception by a tailback in Clemson history. He also established a career-high 2 scoring runs against North Carolina then had his first 100-yard rush game against Louisiana Tech (15 carries, 1 TD) a week after. He set a career-high 18 carries against N.C. State and 155 rushing yards the following week against South Carolina to register back-to-back 150-yard games (first since Terry Allen in 1988). He also had a season-long 80-yard scoring dash in the regular season-ender against the Gamecocks which is the longest since Derrick Witherspoon ran for an 89 yarder in 1993. He finished his rookie season with his postseason debut against Kentucky in the Music City Bowl, rushing for 24 yards on 5 carries. He finished the season with 129 carries for 938 yards and 10 TDs (school freshman record and 4th-most among rookies in the ACC) to go with his 19 catches for 210 yards and 2 scoring catches.
Spiller figured prominently in the statistical leader boards. His five 100-rushing yard games led the team and ranked 2nd in the league, his 7.3 yards per rush was tops for a freshman since 1995 and 4th best in the nation and in the ACC history, his 108.8 all-purpose yards per game average was second in the ACC and 48th in the nation, his 12 total TDs was tied for third in the league, and his 6 ppg average was tied for 7th in the ACC.
[edit] 2007
Spiller made his season debut with an 11-carry, 48-yard effort against Florida State. He scored his first touchdown against Louisiana-Monroe in week two and established a season-high 21 carries for 114 yards and a TD against N.C. State. He also tallied 3 catches for 34 yards and a TD against the Wolfpack. Spiller finished his sophomore season with three 100-yard games and three scoring runs, including an 83-yard run (Chick-fil-A Bowl record for the longest scoring play and longest touchdown play in Clemson bowl history) in his second straight postseason appearance against Auburn in the Chick-Fil-A Bowl where he was named offensive MVP. By the end of the season, he led the team in all-purpose yardage with 132.5 yards per game and became the first Tiger in history to return two kickoffs for touchdowns in the same season. He also capped the year with 1,723 all-purpose yards which is fourth most in Clemson history.
[edit] Highlights
| C.J. Spiller and his backfield tandem James Davis became the first 200/100-yard rushing combo in the same game in Tiger history (10.21.06). |
[edit] Achievements
[edit] 2007
- Clemson's Special Teams MVP
- Clemson's Vickery Hall Award
- Lindy's Preseason #4 best All-purpose player in the nation
- Lindy's Preseason #17th best running back in the nation
- Walter Camp National Player of the Year Award Watch List
[edit] 2006
- ACC All-League Second Team (Running Back)
- ACC Rookie of the Week (3x)
- ACC Rookie of the Year Runner-Up
- Atlantic Coast Media Association All-ACC Second Team
- Clemson's 12th Man Award
- Clemson's Rookie of the Year Award
- CollegeFootballNews.com's #15 Player in the ACC
- CollegeFootballNews.com's #4 Running Back in the ACC
- CollegeFootballNews.com ACC Rookie of the Year
- Rivals.com ACC Rookie of the Year
- Rivals.com Freshman All-America First Team
- Scout.com Freshman All-America First Team
- The Sporting News Freshman All-America First Team
