Bill Spiers Experience: 1985-87 Sports: Baseball, Football

Bill Spiers just couldn't get enough! After hitting .345 in his first two seasons on the diamond at Clemson, an ad in the school newspaper from then head coach Danny Ford caught his attention. It read, "We are concerned about our punting situation. If there is a student reading this who can punt, please call me at the office. We aren't looking for any (Dale) Hatchers, just someone who can average about 40 yards with a four second hang time."

That single point in time led to Spiers trying out, making the squad, and becoming the starting punter in 1986, where he averaged 39.2 yards per punt. Despite playing on the gridiron just one season, his 39.2 punting average ranks 12th all-time at Clemson.

Despite his instant football fame, baseball has always been his first love. As a freshman in 1985, he hit .380 in 171 at bats at a variety of positions. In his sophomore season, his power numbers improved, as he hit 11 doubles, five triples, 12 home runs, and stole 35 bases to go along with 53 RBIs and a .322 batting average.

In 1987, Spiers led the ACC with 11 triples, while hitting .290 and stealing 16 bases as the Tiger shortstop. The 11 triples still stands today as the most ever in a single-season in Clemson history. The Sporting News tabbed Spiers as a First-Team All-American.

Spiers was a First-Team All-ACC selection on the field in '87. He also was a member of the ACC Academic Honor Roll in '87, one of just 12 baseball Tigers to ever accomplish that dual feat in the same season.

In his Clemson career, Spiers accumulated 17 home runs, 119 RBIs, 34 doubles, 17 triples, and 60 stolen bases in just three seasons. Spiers was drafted in the first round (13th pick overall) of the '87 June draft by the Milwaukee Brewers.

After stints in the minor leagues in 1987 through the first months of 1989, Spiers made his Major League debut on April 7, 1989 at Detroit at the third base position. He played a total of eight seasons in the Brewers' organization, six of which were played in Milwaukee.

His career was jump-started when he signed with the Houston Astros before the 1996 season. After hitting .252 in 122 games in '96, he blossomed in '97, hitting a career high .320 with 27 doubles and 48 RBIs in 132 games.

Spiers, now 32, attended Wade Hampton Academy near his hometown of Cameron, SC, where he starred in both football and baseball. He quarterbacked Wade Hampton to two straight state championships, throwing for over 2,000 yards in each campaign. In all, he earned 11 varsity letters at Wade Hampton Academy.

Spiers came from an athletic background. His brother, Michael, lettered four times in baseball at Clemson in the late 80s and early 90s as an outfielder. Michael was also the 1991 ACC Tournament MVP. Their father, Bud, like Bill, was a shortstop for the Tigers in the 1957-59 seasons. Ironically, Michael holds the Clemson single-season record for fielding percentage (.950) while Bud holds the second best mark (.947), which he set in 1958, Coach Wilhelm's first season as the Tiger head coach. Spiers' time at Clemson helped him to maintain a high fielding percentage in the Majors. Entering the '98 season, he had a .968 career fielding percentage at the shortstop position.

He and his wife, Laura, have two children; daughter Ashley (4) and son William James IV (10 months). They reside in Spiers' hometown of Cameron, SC in the off-season.