Spencer served as men’s basketball coach and athletic director for more than 40 years before retiring in 2005 as the winningest coach in Texas junior college basketball (809 wins).  He came to HCJC in 1957 on a basketball scholarship. He went on to play football for  East Texas State University (now Texas A&M-Commerce), where he was named the team’s MVP as a senior.
  He returned to HCJC in 1964 as the head men’s basketball coach and assistant football coach.
  Spencer said there were many highlights in his career, but the 1981-82 season stands out the most. That year, fellow Cardinal Hall of Fame inductee Stan Cloudy was on Spencer’s team and the Cards took third place at the national tournament, coming closer to a national title than any other team in Cardinals basketball history.
  Other highlights in his career include the 1995 and 1999 seasons, when Spencer and the Cardinals again made national tournament appearances.
  Spencer coached numerous All-American, All-Region and All-Conference players. He led the Cardinals to more than a dozen conference championships and three regional titles.
  Spencer was inducted into the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame in 1996.
  He also led teams at events such as the National Sport Festival, the USA International Cup Team and the World University Games in Mexico.