Hall of Fame
Dr. Clarence Wiley (Doc) Spears was head coach and athletic director at UT from 1936 to 1942, when football was discontinued because of World War II. As athletic director he expanded the schedule on a national scope. In 1938 he scheduled a season-ending "bowl game" vs. St Mary's in San Antonio, Texas. His 38 wins in seven years of coaching was a UT record for 30 years until the Frank Lauterbur and Dan Simrell eras. "The Doctor," as he was called, had a nationally known reputation for coaching excellence. His UT football "Spearsmen" knew him to be very sound in coaching fundamentals, with a firm dedication to success. Aside from his regular coaching duties, he found time to initiate football grid schools for area high school students. He was instrumental in the formation of the Downtown Coaches Association in 1937, with 40 original members. Before coming to UT, he was a coach at Dartmouth, West Virginia, Minnesota, Oregon, and Wisconsin. While at Minnesota in 1925, he recruited and coached Bronco Nagurski. His playing days were spent at Dartmouth where he won honors twice as a Walter Camp All-American guard and placed fourth in track in the NCAA as a shot putter. After college, he attended Rush Medical College of Chicago University where he received his doctor of medicine degree. Following his coaching at UT, Doc became head coach at Maryland where he also was in charge of the student health department. Shortly after World War II he resigned from Maryland to engage in the private practice of medicine, primarily in Ypsilanti, Mich. In 1961 Doc retired to Jupiter, Fla., where he died in 1964.
