CJ Spiller checks off another box with Hall of Fame induction

Spiller is now the running backs coach at Clemson.

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Thu May 26 08:00:05 GMT-04:00 2022

Clemson great CJ Spiller can check off another box.

On Monday, Spiller entered another Hall of Fame as he was inducted into the South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame although he was a part of the 2020 class.

Spiller still holds ACC single-season and career records for all-purpose yards, posting 2,680 in 2009 and finishing his career with 7,588, which was second-most in FBS history at the time of his graduation.

A three-time All-American in track and first-team strength All-American in 2008. Spiller had an eight-year NFL career from 2010-17 after being the ninth overall selection in the 2010 NFL Draft by the Buffalo Bills. His NFL career included tenures with the Bills, New Orleans Saints, Seattle Seahawks, New York Jets and Kansas City Chiefs, and he was a Pro Bowl selection in 2012. He and college teammate Jacoby Ford remain the only Clemson products ever to record multiple rushing touchdowns, multiple receiving touchdowns and multiple kick return touchdowns during an NFL career. Spiller was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame last year.

Spiller said it was “mind-blowing” to receive the honor.

“It means a lot. I'm truly humbled and truly blessed. Just honored, honestly, to be a Floridian and going into the South Carolina Athletics Hall of Fame,” Spiller said. “If you would've told me this when I was a little kid, I would've doubted you because I just didn't know how the process works far as guys from out of state getting inducted into other states' hall of fame. So, to be sitting here tonight, this evening, going in with so many great people. It truly is still just mind-blowing.”

Spiller said he was able to check off another box with the honor.

“At a young age, at six, seven years old, I wrote myself a letter. And I wrote down pretty much my dreams and my goals that I wanted to accomplish in life,” he said. “And really the only things that I wrote on there was obviously, at the bottom was the NFL. But along those lines was always wanted to be considered one of the best ever to do it. Leaving my high school, leaving college, and then obviously, hopefully in the NFL. That was really just my dream as a young kid and the stuff that I wanted to accomplish in this lifetime.

“To be sitting here tonight and to be able to mark check one of those accomplishments, it means a ton to me. But that just goes to show you how words are very powerful, and the things that you write down and you look at them every night as a little kid, and you just keep your what I call horse blinders on, and you just stay focused. You never know where this journey can take you. So like I said, I'm just truly honored and humbled by this selection.”

Spiller is now a member of Dabo Swinney’s coaching staff – he coaches the running backs – and he said he feels like he has a lot of sons.

“Truly blessed to have the position that I have. Got to thank Coach Swinney and Board of Trustees, and President Clements. Also coach Tony Elliott for allowing me to come in that first year and kind of just understudy him, and see how he ran the room,” Spiller said. “And kind of got a grasp of how he handled recruiting. So I had tremendous mentors along the way that kind of helped me be successful, I guess you say so far. But all that goes to the guys that I have in my room, from Will Shipley, to Kobe Pace to Phil Mafah to Tristen Rigby to Kevin McNeal to Wise Segars to Domonique Thomas to who else? I got Keith Adams in there now. So all those guys just mean a lot to me, those are pretty much like my little sons. And I just try to just have an impact on their life.”

Spiller then said he feels like he’s in the right place at the right time.

“I couldn't have picked a better place to start here at my alma mater, and to be working for Coach Swinney,” he said. “The guy that truly values the same things that you value. And then the coaching staff that really jell together, got the cohesionness to really function, to really put the players first. That means a lot. And it makes coming to work that much easier.”