Spencer was selected by the
Chicago Blitz of the
USFL in 1983 after a
college football career at
Ohio State University, where he ran for 1,371 yards in his senior season with the
Buckeyes. He closed out his career with 3,553 yards rushing and ranks fifth on OSU's all-time rushing list, trailing only
Archie Griffin (5,589),
J. K. Dobbins (4,459),
Ezekiel Elliott (3,961), and
Eddie George (3,768). Spencer shared the backfield with
Kevin Long as the starting running back with Chicago and rushed for 1157 yards on 300 carries with six touchdowns in his rookie season. In 1984, Spencer played for the
Arizona Wranglers and rushed for 1212 yards on 227 carries for a 5.3 yards per carry average. He also ran for 17 touchdowns. The following season, he played for the
Memphis Showboats and rushed for 789 yards on 198 carries with three touchdowns. Spencer finished as the 3rd leading rusher in USFL history. In 1985, Spencer signed to play for the
San Diego Chargers, the same NFL team that drafted him in the 11th round of the
1983 NFL draft. He rushed for 478 yards on 124 carries with 10 touchdowns that season. His biggest NFL season was in 1989, when he rushed for 521 yards on 134 carries. He was a limited reserve for the rest of his career with the Chargers and retired after the 1990 season. ==Coaching career==