Marshall University Athletics
Marshall Athletics Hall of Fame
- Induction:
- 2016
- Class:
- 1988
Almost from the moment he set foot on the Marshall campus after an All State football career at Cleveland’s St. Ignatius High School – where he was also a four-year letterman in ice hockey – John Spellacy started making hits for the Thundering Herd. He started Marshall’s five games as a freshman in 1985, making 41 tackles, before suffering a broken leg, and then received All-Southern Conference honors after making 105 tackles as a sophomore.
When Marshall made its run to the 1987 Division I-AA National Championship Game, it was Spellacy who again led the defense as he established a school record with 189 tackles.
In 1988, he was named team captain and helped the program to an 8-0 start and its first-ever No. 1 I-AA national ranking. He finished his career with three interceptions, eight passes defended, four fumble recoveries and 27 tackles for loss along with seven sacks in 44 games. At the time of his graduation, Spellacy’s 392 career tackles were second-most in school history.
Also a regular on the Marshall Dean’s List and the Southern Conference Honor Roll, Spellacy went on to become an attorney with a practice in the Cleveland area. He was inducted into the Marshall Athletic Hall of Fame in 2016.
