Tommy Spinks

Who was Tommy Spinks?

Thomas Allen Spinks, known as Tommy Spinks, was an American football wide receiver for the Louisiana Tech University Bulldogs who played from 1966—1969. A native of Shreveport, Spinks and Larry C. Brewer, who came to Tech from Minden High School, were the players who received the passes from the legendary Tech quarterback Terry Bradshaw, also a Shreveport native who went on to play successfully for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Spinks set two records in the 1968 Grantland Rice Bowl, when he caught 12 passes for 167 yards. After his Tech career, Spinks was selected in the 1970 NFL Draft by the Minnesota Vikings and played professionally during the early 1970s. However, he is not included on the Vikings' web site listing of past players. Spinks was inducted into the Louisiana Tech University Athletic Hall of Fame in 1988.

Spinks was the son of Methodist minister Otis Spinks and Grace Spinks, who were living in Ruston, the location of Louisiana Tech, at the time of their deaths. The senior Spinkses are interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park off U.S. Highway 80 West in Ruston. Spinks graduated in 1966 from Woodlawn High School in Shreveport, where he also played football with Bradshaw.