NO INFORMATION - Football.
As of noon today, Presbyterian College has provided no information about its head football coach, Tommy Spangler.
Multiple reports have said Spangler has been fired.
This came after Blue Hose Football’s first winning season in 7 years. The team came from behind to beat Drake on Saturday; the team was just a few key plays away from a 7-0 spring football season (caused by the coronavirus).
Football players were expressing shock Tuesday evening about an on-line report that Spangler had been fired, a source told The Chronicle. It was difficult to believe a coach would be fired after a winning season (4-3) - especially a coach that a couple years ago lost nearly all his scholarship players. The team faced Covid-protocol issues, but so did every other team competing during the spring - entering the second year of the Global Coronavirus-COVID-19 Pandemic.
Spangler was still listed on the Athletics website as PC’s head coach for football - but his phone number was missing. In the recent past, PC also has released Gregg Nibert as men’s basketball head coach, and Harold Nichols as football head coach - he is now CEO of the Clinton Family YMCA.
Spangler also is a favorite speaker for the Laurens County Touchdown Club, know for the passion and spark he provides to high school football players attending the every other week gathering, sponsored by local businesses, governments, and churches.
Meanwhile, Presbyterian College is on its 3rd President in 10 years at the Clinton campus.
The Coach’s On-line Bio says:
Tommy Spangler begins his 10th year as head coach at PC in 2020 and fourth since the 2006 season, after being promoted from defensive coordinator on Nov. 22, 2016.
Spangler just finished his seventh year back at PC, and 17th season overall, after having served as a defensive coordinator, an assistant coach, and head coach.
In 2019, defensive back Trent Carrington ranked third amongst Big South DB's with 6.5 tackles a game. Rod Haygood was tied for second in the league with three interceptions, while Noah Suber check in with a pair of interceptions. Freshman Jeffrey Smyth was second among all freshman defensive backs in the Big South with 5.2 tackles per game and 63 tackles. Colby Campbell set multiple Blue Hose and Big South records en route to a first-team Big South selection. Campbell set the Blue Hose single-season record for tackles (150), solo tackles (70), assisted tackles (80) and sacks (9.0). Campbell also set a single-game record with 20 tackles in a contest against Kennesaw State. Campbell led the Big South with 12.8 tackles per game while Jarrett Nagy had 9.2 tackles per contest.
In 2018, the Blue Hose defense was ranked 8th in FCS allowing just 164.0 passing yards per contest. The defense allowed just two teams to throw for more than 200 yards in a game. As a team the Blue Hose have six interceptions as well as forcing 25 pass breakups this season.
Earlier this season, the defense was ranked first nationally in third down defense, holding opponents to 25.5% through the first six games. Donelle Williams, a linebacker under Spangler, finished his career third in Big South history in total tackles with 402. Ed Britt tied the school single season and career record for interceptions with four his last season and seven for his career.
Under Spangler several Blue hose have earned Big South defensive all-conference honors, including two in 2014 and three in 2015.
In his first season back, in 2014, Spangler helped PC to a 6-5 record, the program’s first winning season since 2007. His defense shut down opponents and led to Blue Hose ranked wins over No. 12 Furman and No. 22 Charleston Southern.
Against FCS competition, PC finished with a 5-2 record, its only two losses coming to FCS playoff teams Coastal Carolina and Liberty. PC's defense set new school Division I records in nearly every category, including total offense yards (4163), opponent points scored (270), opponent touchdowns (36) and opponent total offense per game (378.5 yards). Those records come in a season that saw the Blue Hose play three FBS teams and against FCS competition, PC allowed only 15.9 points and 310.0 total offense yards per game. The Blue Hose also finished the season with the nation's second-ranked red zone defense.
Blue Hose defensive players earned four weekly awards in 2015, including the entire defense receiving the Big South Defensive Player of the Week award for PC's win over Western Carolina. Defensive back Ed Britt and linebacker Donelle Williams also earned First Team All-Big South honors in 2015 under Spangler.
Spangler spent six years as defensive coordinator at Louisiana Tech prior to returning to PC. During that time, Spangler took a Bulldog defense that ranked dead last in the country (among FBS programs) in scoring defense, rushing defense and total defense prior to his arrival and coached them into one of the top defensive units in the Western Athletic Conference.
He guided a defense that had six All-WAC selections in 2011, and that scored six defensive touchdowns, the best scoring defense Tech saw in two decades. The Bulldog defense ended the year ranked 13th in the nation in turnover margin and had a +15 turnover margin during the team's seven-game winning streak.
Spangler was a 2011 Broyles Award nominee for his defensive efforts that season.
Spangler has spent almost three decades as a full-time coach on the college football sideline. He began his first 10 years at Georgia Southern, helping lead the program to a pair of Division I-AA national titles.
After taking the job as the secondary coach for the Eagles in 1987, Spangler was promoted to co-defensive coordinator in 1990 and then took over the sole reins of the program's defense in 1992.
The Stone Mountain, Ga., native earned the Southern Conference Defensive Coach of the Year Award in 1993 as the Eagles won the league title and advanced to the playoffs. His defense ranked sixth nationally in scoring defense.
Spangler spent 10 seasons at PC the first time around, first as an assistant coach from 1997- 2000 and then as head coach from 2001-06, During his six years as PC's head football coach, Spangler guided the Blue Hose to a 42-24 record - a mark that stands as the highest winning percentage (.571) among the school's 14 head football coaches.
In 2006, Spangler's defense ranked first in the South Atlantic Conference in scoring defense (13.2 ppg) and total defense (233.5 ypg) en route to a 7-4 record. In 2005, he led PC to a 10-2 mark, the South Atlantic Conference title, the school's first appearance ever in the NCAA Division II playoffs, and a top 10 national ranking, earning him the league's Coach of the Year Award.
Spangler garnered two American Football Coaches Association Region 2 Coach of the Year Awards while with the Blue Hose. His defenses were ranked in the top half of the South Atlantic Conference in all defensive categories each of his last eight seasons there, and his 1998 Blue Hose unit forced 48 turnovers in 11 games, and ranked first nationally in turnover margin (+2.27).
Spangler played defensive back at the University of Georgia from 1979 through 1982, and was a member of the 1980 Division I National Championship team that defeated Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl. He lettered his senior season after helping Georgia to the 1982 Southeastern Conference title, the program's third straight.
Spangler earned his bachelor's degree in physical education from Georgia in the spring of 1984. He is married to the former Kim Pierce of Ft. White, Fla., and they are the parents of three children, Pierce, Peyton, and Gracie.
Resume
1985 - 1986 Georgia (Graduate Assistant)
1987 - 1989 Georgia Southern (DB)
1990 - 1991 Georgia Southern (Co-DC)
1992 - 1996 Georgia Southern (DC)
1997 - 2000 Presbyterian (DC/Asst. HC)
2001 - 2006 Presbyterian HC
2007 - 2012 Louisiana Tech (DC)
2013 - 2016 Presbyterian (DC)
2017- Presbyterian (HC)
Championships
1 SAC (2005)
Awards
1993 SoCon Defensive Coach of the Year
2005 SAC Coach of the Year
2005 AFCA Region 2 Coach of the Year
2011 Broyles Award nominee
