John Spilis

Last updated

John Spilis
No. 85
Position: Wide receiver
Personal information
Born: (1947-10-14) October 14, 1947 (age 76)
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Height:6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:205 lb (93 kg)
Career information
High school: Dolton (IL) Thornridge
College: Northern Illinois
NFL Draft: 1969  / Round: 3 / Pick: 64
Career history
Career NFL statistics
Games played:40
Receptions:27
Receiving yards:446
Touchdowns:1
Player stats at NFL.com  ·  PFR

John Arthur Spilis (October 14, 1947) is a former wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the third round of the 1969 NFL Draft and played three seasons with the team. [1]

Contents

College

Spilis played college football at Northern Illinois University from 1966 to 1968, where he was a split end and kickoff returner, and wore number 87. He led the Huskies twice (1967 and 1968) in receiving and scoring, and in 1968 led the team in all-purpose yards and kickoff returns. His 22 career touchdowns set an NIU record. Curiously, he caught the same number of passes—46—in each of his three years at NIU. He was honored as team co-captain and co-MVP in 1968, and was a selection for the College All-Star Game in 1969. He was also selected to play in the All-American Bowl, but was unable to play due to a broken leg. [2]

The Packers and the 1969 draft

Spilis was chosen by the Green Bay Packers in the third round of the 1969 NFL draft. He was the 8th wide receiver selected, one round before the Houston Oilers chose Hall of Fame wide receiver Charlie Joiner. [3] Spilis went, by far, the highest any Northern Illinois player had been taken in the NFL draft; the previous high had been the 16th round. [4] No other NIU Huskie would go as early as the third round until running back LeShon Johnson was also drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the 3rd round in 1994, and none would be taken as a higher overall pick until the San Diego Chargers picked defensive end Larry English in the first round in 2009. [5]

The Packers' wide receivers corps had changed little during Vince Lombardi's last several years as head coach, but by 1969 change was in the air. Max McGee had retired after the 1967 season, and the remaining leading receivers, Boyd Dowler and Carroll Dale, were 31 and 32 years old respectively. [6] In both the 1967 and 1968 drafts, the Packers had invested a pick in a wide receiver in the first four rounds--Dave Dunaway in the 2nd round in 1967 and John Robinson in the 4th round in 1968. [7] But neither panned out for the Packers. Dunaway appeared in just two games with the Packers with zero catches before playing in only more 11 games elsewhere in the NFL after that. [8] Robinson never appeared in an NFL regular season game at all. [7]

NFL years

Spilis played for the Packers in 1969, 1970 and 1971. He played in 12 of the team's 14 games in 1969, and played in all 14 games in both 1970 and 1971. His final year, 1971, was easily his most productive pro season. He started in 11 of 14 Packers games, after starting only six games total in the previous two seasons. [1] He gained playing time that had been given the previous year to Jack Clancy at wide receiver, playing split end opposite Carroll Dale. Spilis scored his only NFL touchdown in the sixth Packers season game of 1971, a road loss to the Los Angeles Rams. Spilis caught a 32-yard touchdown pass from Zeke Bratkowski in the 4th quarter, the only Packers touchdown in a 30–13 defeat. [9] Spilis spent the entire 1972 preseason with the Packers, but in spite of his increased role in 1971, some felt he would have to fight for a job for 1972. [10] He was released in the team's final roster cuts before the start of the regular season. The Packers replaced Spilis with rookie Leland Glass. [11] The 1971 Packers had been one of the weakest teams in the league in the passing game. Out of 26 teams, they were last in pass attempts, 25th in completions, 25th in first downs by passing, 24th in passing yards, and 23rd in touchdown passes. [12]

Honors

After his playing days, Spilis received multiple honors from his alma mater. He was named to NIU's All-Century Team and Century's Five Best Players in 1999 [13] and was named the #9 player in Huskie Stadium history in 2015. [14] Spilis was also honored in 2015 as part of the 50th anniversary celebration of Huskie Stadium by being commemorated on one of 22 full-size window clings honoring NIU football greats displayed on businesses in downtown DeKalb. [15]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Don Hutson</span> American football player and coach (1913–1997)

Donald Montgomery Hutson, nicknamed "the Alabama Antelope", was an American football player and coach in the National Football League (NFL). In the era of the one-platoon football, he played as an end and spent his entire 11-year career with the Green Bay Packers. Under head coach Curly Lambeau, Hutson led the Packers to four NFL Championship Games, winning three in 1936, 1939, and 1944.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edgar Bennett</span> American football player and coach (born 1969)

Edgar Bennett III is an American football coach and former running back who is the wide receivers coach for the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). Bennett played college football for the Florida State Seminoles and was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the fourth round of the 1992 NFL Draft. He also played for the Chicago Bears.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dave Brown (cornerback)</span> American football player and coach (1953–2006)

David Steven Brown was an American professional football player who was a cornerback for 15 seasons in the National Football League (NFL) for the Pittsburgh Steelers (1975), Seattle Seahawks (1976–1986), and Green Bay Packers (1987–1989). He was selected as a second-team All-NFL player in 1984 and a second-team All-AFC player in 1985. His 62 career interceptions ranks tied for tenth in NFL history, with only five players having more interceptions in a career since his career ended in 1989. His 50 interceptions with the Seahawks remains a club record.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Al Harris (cornerback)</span> American football player and coach (born 1974)

Alshinard Harris is an American professional football coach and former player who is an assistant secondary coach for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). Harris played as a defensive back for 14 seasons in the NFL from 1998 to 2011. He played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Philadelphia Eagles, Green Bay Packers, Miami Dolphins, and St. Louis Rams. He was selected for the Pro Bowl after his 2007 and 2008 seasons in Green Bay. The AP also named him a second-team All-Pro in 2007.

Donald Glenn Horn is a former American football player, a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for eight seasons with the Green Bay Packers, Denver Broncos, Cleveland Browns, and San Diego Chargers.

Robert Andrew Long is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) who played in the 1960s and 1970s and earned two Super Bowl rings. He attended suburban Pittsburgh's Washington Township High School, and Wichita State University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boyd Dowler</span> American football player, coach, and scout (born 1937)

Boyd Hamilton Dowler is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). He played 12 seasons from 1959 to 1971, 11 with the Green Bay Packers and one with the Washington Redskins.

The 1967 Green Bay Packers season was their 49th season overall and their 47th season in the National Football League (NFL) and resulted in a 9–4–1 record and a victory in Super Bowl II. The team beat the Dallas Cowboys in the NFL Championship Game, a game commonly known as the "Ice Bowl," which marked the second time the Packers had won an NFL-record third consecutive NFL championship, having also done so in 1931 under team founder Curly Lambeau. In the playoff era, it remains the only time a team has won three consecutive NFL titles.

Douglas Wayne Hart was a professional American football player, a defensive back who played eight seasons for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brett Swain (gridiron football)</span> American gridiron football player (born 1985)

Brett Andrew Swain is a former American football wide receiver. He was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the seventh round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He won Super Bowl XLV with the Packers over the Pittsburgh Steelers. He played college football at San Diego State. He last played for the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League.

Jonathan Leroy Staggers, Jr. is a former professional American football wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). He was a star football player for Helias High School in Jefferson City, Missouri. He starred as a running back/wide receiver at the University of Missouri before playing six seasons for the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Green Bay Packers, and the Detroit Lions of the NFL. He is the first cousin of tennis great Arthur Ashe. His father, Jonathan Staggers, was a basketball coach at Lincoln University Hayward State University and Claflin College

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Randall Cobb (American football)</span> American football player (born 1990)

Randall Ladonald Cobb II is an American football wide receiver for the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Kentucky Wildcats, earning All-American honors in 2010. Cobb was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the second round of the 2011 NFL Draft. He also played one season each for the Dallas Cowboys and Houston Texans.

Dave Dunaway was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL).

Leland Glass is a former wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for the Green Bay Packers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Davante Adams</span> American football player (born 1992)

Davante Lavell Adams is an American football wide receiver for the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). Born in East Palo Alto, California, Adams attended Palo Alto High School where he played football and basketball. He played two seasons of college football for the Fresno State Bulldogs and was named a second-team All-American in 2013 before being selected in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft by the Green Bay Packers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeff Janis</span> American football player (born 1991)

Jeffrey Ronald Janis is a former American football wide receiver. He played college football at Saginaw Valley State, and was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the seventh round of the 2014 NFL Draft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kenny Golladay</span> American football player (born 1993)

Kenneth Golladay is an American football wide receiver who is a free agent. He has previously played in the National Football League (NFL) for the Detroit Lions and the New York Giants. He played college football at North Dakota and Northern Illinois and was selected by the Detroit Lions in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft. He led the NFL in receiving touchdowns with the Lions in 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scotty Miller</span> American football player (born 1997)

Scott Thomas Miller is an American football wide receiver for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Bowling Green and was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the sixth round of the 2019 NFL Draft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tyler Johnson (American football)</span> American football player (born 1998)

Tyler Johnson is an American football wide receiver for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Minnesota, and was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the fifth round of the 2020 NFL Draft. He also briefly played for the Houston Texans.

Christian Justus Watson is an American football wide receiver for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at North Dakota State, and was selected by the Packers in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft.

References

  1. 1 2 "John Spilis Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft, College". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
  2. ↑ "John Spilis Bio". NIU Athletics. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
  3. ↑ "1969 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 30, 2023.
  4. ↑ Vance, Bryan M. (May 1, 2014). "NIU Has a Long History of Players Getting Drafted". Hustle Belt. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
  5. ↑ Korcek, John (September 3, 2015). "Korcek: Johnson my vote for Huskie Stadium's greatest athlete". Shaw Local. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
  6. ↑ "1969 Green Bay Packers Rosters, Stats, Schedule, Team Draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
  7. 1 2 "Green Bay Packers Draft History". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
  8. ↑ "Dave Dunaway Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft, College". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
  9. ↑ "Green Bay Packers at Los Angeles Rams - October 24th, 1971". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
  10. ↑ "Spinning The Sports", Ironwood Daily Globe, July 13, 1972, page 7.
  11. ↑ UPI, "Packers cut two veterans", Kenosha News, September 12, 1972, p. 11.
  12. ↑ "1971 NFL Standings & Team Stats". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
  13. ↑ Northern Illinois Athletics 2016, ibid.
  14. ↑ "Huskie Stadium's 50 Greatest: No. 9 John Spilis". NIU Athletics. August 25, 2015. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
  15. ↑ Gillespie, Rhonda (July 31, 2015). "Window portraits celebrate NIU athletics, relationship with DeKalb". Shaw Local. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.