Rimington Trophy Watch List | Illinois Season Tickets
Illinois rising senior center Joe Spencer was named one of 57 preseason candidates for the 2016 Rimington Trophy on Tuesday, which is presented annually to the nation's top Division I center.
Spencer has made 26 starts at center for the Fighting Illini, including all 12 games in 2015. He was an anchor of an offensive line that allowed just 20 sacks last season. Spencer, who earned a bachelor's degree in finance last week, will enroll in graduate school this summer and fall while finishing out his final year of elibility on the field.
A model student-athlete, Spencer has been involved in numerous community service and leadership efforts at Illinois, including serving as the president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and chapter president of Uplifting Athletes. He was chosen by the coaching staff for the Illini Leadership Academy, takes part in the Freshman Athlete Mentor program, has helped organize events such as the student-athlete variety show that has raised more than $80,000 for charity over the last five years, and is a "Big" at the local Big Brothers Big Sisters. Spencer also spearheaded the Leadership Summit for local middle school students and leads the Illini's Thanksgiving Basketball Program.
Spencer takes part in all the Illini's team community service events he can be a part of, reaching thousands of people in Central Illinois. He has visited nearly every elementary school in Champaign-Urbana and has made serveral visits to the pediatric unit of the local hospital and nursing homes in the area. He has also volunteered at places such as Boys & Girls Club and the Special Olympics, among others.
He was the recipient of Illinois' Fighting Illini Spirit Award, handed out at the Fighting Illini All-Sport Celebration in April, and was a nominee for the 2015 Wuerffel Trophy, college football's premier award for community service.
The Rimington Trophy is presented annually to the Most Outstanding Center in NCAA Division I-A College Football. The award is overseen by the Boomer Esiason Foundation, which is committed to finding a cure for cystic fibrosis. Since its inception, the Rimington Trophy has raised over $2.6 million for the cystic fibrosis community.
Dave Rimington, the award's namesake, was a consensus first-team All-America center at the University of Nebraska in 1981 and 1982, during which time he became the John Outland Trophy's only double winner as the nation's finest college interior lineman.
For more on the Rimington Trophy and a list of past recipients, visit www.rimingtontrophy.com.
