C. J. Spiller facts for kids
Spiller with the New Orleans Saints in 2015
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| Clemson Tigers | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Position: | Running backs coach | ||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||
| Born: | August 5, 1987 Lake Butler, Florida, U.S. |
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| Height: | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Weight: | 200 lb (91 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||||||
| High school: | Union County (Lake Butler, Florida) |
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| College: | Clemson (2006–2009) | ||||||||||||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 2010 / Round: 1 / Pick: 9 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||||||
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College Football Hall of Fame
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Clifford "C. J." Spiller Jr. (born August 5, 1987) is an American football coach and former player. He was a talented running back and return specialist. Today, he coaches running backs at Clemson University. Before this, he was a graduate intern at Clemson in 2020.
Spiller played college football for the Clemson Tigers. He was even named a unanimous All-American. This means everyone agreed he was one of the best college players. The Buffalo Bills picked him ninth overall in the 2010 NFL draft. He played in the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons. He played for the Bills, New Orleans Saints, Seattle Seahawks, New York Jets, and Kansas City Chiefs.
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Early Life and High School
C. J. Spiller was born in Lake Butler, Florida. He went to Union County High School there. He played football with his future Clemson teammate, Kevin Alexander. In his senior year, Spiller ran for 1,840 yards. He scored 30 touchdowns on 176 carries. He also caught 15 passes for 249 yards.
In 2006, he was named the top track and field athlete in his area. He won state titles in the 100 and 200 meters. During his high school career, Spiller rushed for an amazing 5,511 yards.
High School Achievements
- He was chosen to play in the 2006 U.S. Army All-American Bowl.
- Rivals.com ranked him as the #1 player in Florida. They also called him the #1 all-purpose running back.
- He was a first-team Parade magazine All-American.
- He won Florida 2A state titles in the 100 and 200-meter races.
College Career at Clemson
Spiller earned a scholarship to Clemson University. He played for the Clemson Tigers football team from 2006 to 2009.
Freshman Year (2006)
As a freshman, Spiller quickly showed his talent. He rushed for 938 yards and 10 touchdowns. This was impressive because he was the second-string running back. He scored his first college touchdown on an 82-yard catch. This happened in a close game against Boston College.
He had two games where he rushed for over 100 yards. The Tigers beat Louisiana Tech and Wake Forest. Against Georgia Tech, he rushed for 116 yards. He also caught a 50-yard pass for a touchdown.
Sophomore Year (2007)
In his second year, Spiller rushed for 768 yards and three touchdowns. He also had more receiving yards, with 271 yards and two touchdowns. His best game was against rivals South Carolina. Clemson won that game 23–21. Spiller ran for 122 yards in that victory.
Junior Year (2008)
Clemson was expected to win their first game in 2008 against Alabama. But Alabama's defense stopped Spiller, holding him to just seven yards. However, he did score a touchdown on a kickoff return. In his next game, he rushed for 75 yards and three touchdowns. This helped Clemson win 45–17 against The Citadel. In January 2009, he decided to stay at Clemson for his senior year.
Senior Year (2009)
In 2009, Spiller and Jacoby Ford became the top all-purpose duo in NCAA history. This means they gained the most yards in many ways. On November 28, 2009, Spiller set a record for kickoff return touchdowns. He had seven during his college career. He was also one of only five players to gain 7,000 all-purpose yards.
Spiller was a finalist for the Doak Walker Award. He also finished sixth in the voting for the Heisman Trophy. He was named the ACC Player of the Year. He was also a unanimous first-team All-American. He was the only player that season to score touchdowns in five different ways: rushing, passing, receiving, and on kick and punt returns.
He scored at least once in every game that season. He helped Clemson win the Atlantic Division title. Spiller led the ACC with almost 184 all-purpose yards per game. He was also the league's fourth-leading rusher. Spiller graduated from Clemson in December 2009. He was the first in his family to get a four-year college degree. Clemson also retired his No. 28 jersey to honor his amazing college career.
College Statistics
| Season | Rushing | Receiving | Returning | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | PR | Yds | KR | Yds | TD | |
| 2006 | 129 | 938 | 7.3 | 80 | 10 | 19 | 210 | 11.1 | 82 | 2 | 11 | 33 | 13 | 324 | 0 |
| 2007 | 145 | 768 | 5.3 | 83 | 3 | 34 | 271 | 8.0 | 68 | 2 | 16 | 137 | 19 | 547 | 2 |
| 2008 | 116 | 629 | 5.4 | 57 | 7 | 34 | 436 | 12.8 | 83 | 3 | 18 | 189 | 19 | 516 | 1 |
| 2009 | 201 | 1,212 | 5.6 | 66 | 12 | 36 | 503 | 14.0 | 63 | 4 | 8 | 210 | 21 | 708 | 5 |
| Total | 591 | 3,547 | 5.9 | 83 | 32 | 120 | 1,362 | 11.4 | 83 | 11 | 53 | 569 | 72 | 2,005 | 8 |
College Awards and Highlights
- 2006 High School All-American (Parade, USA Today)
- 2006 All-ACC Football (Running Back)
- 2007 All-American – Outdoor Track & Field (4 × 100 m)
- 2008 All-American – Indoor Track & Field (60m)
- 2009 All-ACC Football (Running Back & Special Teams)
- 2009 All-American – Outdoor Track & Field (4 × 100 m)
- 2009 All-American – Football (unanimous)
- 2009 ACC Championship Game MVP
- 2009 ACC Offensive Player of the Year
- 2009 ACC Player of the Year
- 2010 #28 jersey retired at Clemson in Spiller's honor
Professional Career
Spiller was expected to be a top pick in the 2009 NFL draft. But he chose to return to Clemson for his senior year. After his senior year, he was seen as the best running back for the 2010 NFL draft.
Pre-draft Information
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand size | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | Wonderlic | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft 10+5⁄8 in (1.79 m) |
196 lb (89 kg) |
30+1⁄2 in (0.77 m) |
10+1⁄8 in (0.26 m) |
4.37 s | 1.55 s | 2.57 s | 36 in (0.91 m) |
10 ft 6 in (3.20 m) |
18 reps | 10 | ||
| These numbers are from the NFL Scouting Combine and his Pro Day. | ||||||||||||
Buffalo Bills
2010 Season
In the 2010 preseason, Spiller scored his first NFL touchdown. He rushed for 31 yards. He finished the preseason with 122 rushing yards and three touchdowns. Spiller became the #1 running back for the Bills.
He played his first NFL game on September 12, 2010. Spiller was named Special Teams Player of the Week. This was for a 95-yard touchdown return against the New England Patriots. He also caught a touchdown pass. In his rookie year, Spiller had 283 rushing yards and 1,189 return yards.
2011 Season
In 2011, Spiller changed his jersey number to 28. This was the same number he wore at Clemson. He became the Bills' starting running back when Fred Jackson got injured. In a game against the Denver Broncos, Spiller had his first 100-yard rushing game. He rushed for 111 yards and a touchdown. He finished the year with 561 rushing yards and four touchdowns.
2012 Season
Spiller had a great year in 2012. He reached 1,000 rushing yards for the first time in his NFL career. He did this with only 154 carries. This was the fewest carries to reach 1,000 yards since 1934! Spiller rushed for 1,244 yards and scored six touchdowns. He also caught 43 passes for 459 yards and two touchdowns. Spiller was chosen to play in the Pro Bowl.
2013 Season
Spiller had three games where he rushed for over 100 yards. In the 2013 season, he rushed 202 times for 933 yards. He also had 33 catches for 185 receiving yards. He played in 15 games and started 10 of them.
2014 Season
In Week 2, Spiller returned a kickoff for a 102-yard touchdown against the Miami Dolphins. He was named the AFC Special Teams Player of the Week for this. On October 19, Spiller broke his collarbone during a game. He was placed on injured reserve but returned later in the season.
New Orleans Saints
On March 13, 2015, Spiller signed a four-year contract with the New Orleans Saints. In a game against the Dallas Cowboys, Spiller caught an 80-yard touchdown pass in overtime. This won the game for the Saints. It was also Drew Brees' 400th career touchdown pass.
In 2016, Spiller was released by the Saints.
Seattle Seahawks
On September 28, 2016, Spiller signed with the Seattle Seahawks. He was released by the Seahawks about a month later.
New York Jets
On November 2, 2016, Spiller signed with the New York Jets. He was released by the team in December 2016.
Kansas City Chiefs
On February 24, 2017, Spiller signed a contract with the Kansas City Chiefs. He was signed and cut multiple times by the Chiefs that year. He became a free agent in March 2018.
NFL Career Statistics
| Year | Team | Games | Rushing | Receiving | Fumbles | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Fum | Lost | ||
| 2010 | BUF | 14 | 1 | 74 | 283 | 3.8 | 20 | 0 | 24 | 157 | 6.5 | 41 | 1 | 5 | 3 |
| 2011 | BUF | 16 | 11 | 107 | 561 | 5.2 | 38 | 4 | 39 | 269 | 6.9 | 19 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 2012 | BUF | 16 | 9 | 207 | 1,244 | 6.0 | 62 | 6 | 43 | 459 | 10.7 | 66T | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| 2013 | BUF | 15 | 10 | 202 | 933 | 4.6 | 77 | 2 | 33 | 185 | 5.6 | 27 | 0 | 4 | 1 |
| 2014 | BUF | 9 | 5 | 78 | 300 | 3.8 | 53 | 0 | 19 | 125 | 6.6 | 25 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| 2015 | NO | 13 | 2 | 36 | 112 | 3.1 | 11 | 0 | 34 | 239 | 7.0 | 80T | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 2016 | SEA | 2 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 3.0 | 13 | 0 | 5 | 43 | 8.6 | 24 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| NYJ | 4 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 3.0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 7.0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2017 | KC | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 90 | 38 | 712 | 3,451 | 4.8 | 77 | 12 | 198 | 1,484 | 7.5 | 80 | 9 | 19 | 8 | |
Coaching Career
After his playing career, Spiller joined the coaching staff at Clemson. He started as an unpaid graduate intern in 2020.
On February 5, 2021, Spiller was promoted. He became the running backs coach at Clemson.
