Spence’s Trail Leads Him to Oregon

In most successful athletes’ careers, there is usually a turning point or a moment of truth. For Oregon tight end Blake Spence, it came between his freshman and sophomore years at Capistrano Valley High.

Eric Patton, Spence’s high school coach, remembers “a tall, gangly kid” who didn’t have much interest in playing football.

“He was a very, very good basketball player, it was probably his first love,” Patton said. “I had to talk him out of quitting football. I told him his brother Matt was a great player here and he went on to get a scholarship. I told him he could do the same.”

Fortunately for Spence, he listened to Patton. Spence never became much of a basketball player, but he has turned into some football player. That sophomore year, Spence started on Capistrano Valley’s Southern Section championship team. He went on to become an all-league tight end for the Cougars his senior year.

This season, Spence’s last in Eugene, has been the best of his career and it will culminate on national television (ESPN 2) in the Las Vegas Bowl against Air Force at 3 p.m. today. It’s not the Rose Bowl, but it’s better than nothing.

“With a 6-5 record, you can’t expect much,” Spence said. “I heard there were five former national champions who aren’t playing in any bowl this year. So to have a chance to play on national TV is not too bad.”

Football News named Spence first-team All-Pacific 10 and honorable mention All-American. He caught 36 passes for 573 yards (15.9 yard average) and six touchdowns. Against Utah, Spence caught six passes for 214 yards, the fourth-highest yardage total in Oregon history. His 573 receiving yards are the most by an Oregon tight end in one season.

“That’s the funnest part of the game, running with the ball,” Spence said. “I get so excited to run that sometimes I start running before I catch the ball, and that can be pretty embarrassing sometimes.”

Spence seems a little embarrassed by his success this season. He knew he had made second-team All-Pac 10 in the coaches’ vote, but the other honors caught him off guard.

“What All-America team is that?” he said. “That’s quite an honor. I had no idea I made anything like that.”

The only idea Spence had about his senior season was that he wanted to start. After one year as a redshirt and playing behind All-Pac 10 tight end Josh Wilcox for three more, Spence just wanted into the lineup.

“It’s been a long time for me to get into the role where I can contribute on a regular basis,” Spence said. “It was pretty frustrating at times. I’ve always been told what doesn’t hurt you makes you stronger. You have to swallow your pride sometimes.”

So even though Wilcox was the star for three years, Spence never considered going anywhere else.

“This is where I decided to go, so I never thought about transferring,” he said. “I knew I’d finally get my shot.”

Spence hopes Saturday’s game is not the end of his football career.

“I’m going to pursue that, but right now I’m not looking past Saturday,” he said.

Spence has the size to play professionallyhe’s 6 feet 4, 245-pounds--but his speed is questionable.

“I ran a 4.95 in the 40, but that was after coming back from spring break in Puerto Vallarta,” he said. “I’m really going to work on my speed.”

Lately, Spence is even slower than usual. He sprained his ankle against Arizona State in November and it has not completely healed. The injury is painful but is nothing like the pain he experienced in high school with his shoulders. Spence missed more than half of his junior football season and the entire basketball season after having surgery on both his shoulders.

“I’ll never forget, he was running down the field on his way to scoring a touchdown and some kid brushes him,” Patton said. “Next thing you know, his shoulder is out of its socket.”

Patton said the injury scared off several college coaches.

“He had very weak shoulders in proportion to his height but the surgery made them stronger than most,” said Patton, who is out of coaching and working for the Riverside County Board of Education. “The one thing that surgery did do was keep him out of basketball. It may have been a blessing.”

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Las Vegas Bowl

* Teams: Oregon vs. Air Force

* When: 3 p.m., today

* Where: Las Vegas Silver Bowl.

* Records: Oregon 6-5; Air Force 10-2.

* TV: ESPN2

* Orange County connections: Oregon--Jim Adams (El Toro), Fr., OL; Josh Beckett (Santa Margarita), So., OT; Scott Fergus (Foothill, Santa Ana College), Jr., OG; Tony Hartley (Los Alamitos), So., FL; Ryan Klaasen (San Clemente), Jr., ILB; Greg Payne (Capistrano Valley), Jr., FB; Garrett Sabol (Kennedy), Fr., DB; Blake Spence (Capistrano Valley), Sr., TE; Leie Sualua (Mater Dei), Jr., NG; Ruben Vaughan (Foothill), Fr., OLB; Chris Young (Rancho Alamitos), So., SS. Air Force--John Flynn (Mater Dei), Jr., QB