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Spurlins in sports

An overview of people surnamed Spurlin in sports: college and minor league baseball, college football, wrestling, softball and basketball coaching, with links to each article and a note of the professional leagues and databases searched.

Sourcing: strong 20 reference · 2 news · 5 official

Most published sports records for the Spurlin surname are in baseball, football, basketball, softball and wrestling, largely in the American South. No Spurlin has played in Major League Baseball, the NFL or the NBA, according to the player indexes of Baseball-Reference, Pro-Football-Reference and Basketball-Reference.[1][2][3] The closest are minor league players going back to 1935[4] and the Spurling-variant MLB pitcher Chris Spurling, the only Spurlin or Spurling in Baseball-Reference's major league index.[4][1]

Families in sport

Two families have several athletes each:

  • Tifton, Georgia. Jimmy Spurlin (ABAC and American Softball Association halls of fame), his wife Gwen Cottle Spurlin (Tift County Athletic Hall of Fame) and their son Johnny Spurlin, a Tift County High basketball coach, were all covered by the Tifton Gazette.[5][6]
  • Galax, Virginia. Brothers Caleb and Joshua Spurlin won seven Virginia state wrestling titles between them for their father, coach Kevin Spurlin, and both went on to Appalachian State.[7]

Articles

College football database records

Sports-Reference's college football database, which covers players from major college programs, returns five players surnamed Spurlin: Alex Spurlin (Auburn, 1985–1986), Caleb Spurlin (Appalachian State, 2017–2021), Ed Spurlin (Auburn, 1984), Larry Spurlin (Wisconsin, 1978–1981) and Pearce Spurlin III (2023–2026, listed under Colorado State).[10]

Larry Spurlin was a linebacker for the Wisconsin Badgers. Sports-Reference records him with one interception in 11 games in 1978 and one interception, returned 12 yards, in 11 games in 1981.[11] Wisconsin's season rosters list him as No. 49, a sophomore linebacker in 1979 and a junior in 1980.[12][13] As a senior in 1981 he was one of three team captains, with Dave Levenick and Dave Mohapp, for a Wisconsin team that went 7–5 under coach Dave McClain and lost to Tennessee, 28–21, in the Garden State Bowl.[14]

Alex Spurlin, a defensive back whose hometown Auburn's roster archive gives as Opp, Alabama,[15] is credited by Sports-Reference with seven punt returns for 73 yards over 22 games for Auburn in 1985 and 1986.[16] Ed Spurlin, also listed by Auburn as from Opp,[17] appears in the same database as an Auburn quarterback in 1984, with five rushes for 14 yards in 12 games.[18]

Halls of fame

Spurlins in athletic halls of fame collects hall-of-fame honors. Besides the Tifton inductions noted above, they include James Spurlin, inducted into Kentucky State University's Athletics Hall of Fame in 1992, and Walter Spurlin, a Santa Fe College basketball player inducted into that college's hall of fame in 2013.[19][20]

Leagues and databases searched

Searches made in 2026 went beyond the major-league indexes cited above. Pro Football Archives, which also covers minor-league teams, lists one Spurlin, Max Spurlin.[8] No Spurlin was found in these sources:

  • NBA and WNBA. Basketball-Reference's indexes of players who appeared in either league, for the letter S, list no Spurlin or Spurling.[3][21] The nearest is Greg Spurling, a 1986 Phoenix Suns draft pick who never played in an NBA game.[9]
  • Overseas basketball. A RealGM search listed Spurlins only with college careers, with no international or NBA playing record.[22]
  • Arena football. ArenaFan's index of Arena Football League players whose surnames begin with S has no Spurlin or Spurling.[23]
  • Canadian football. No CFL player named Spurlin or Spurling was found. CFLdb, an unofficial Canadian football statistics database not affiliated with the CFL, has shut down.[24]
  • Olympics. Olympedia lists no Olympian named Spurlin.[25] The Bermudian swimmer Dudley Spurling, who competed in 1936, has the Spurling spelling.[26]
  • Esports. Searches of 20 Liquipedia game wikis found no player page for anyone named Spurlin.[27]

Roundups

The music director Corey Spurlin leads the Auburn University Marching Band, which performs at Auburn football games. See also Notable Spurlins.

See also

  • Pearce Spurlin III · People strong
    Pearce Spurlin III is an American college football tight end, a four-star Georgia signee whose career was halted by a heart condition in 2024 before he returned with Colorado State in 2026.
  • Caleb Spurlin · People strong
    Caleb Spurlin is an American former college football defensive end from Galax, Virginia. A three-time state champion wrestler, he walked on at Appalachian State, where he tied the school record of 66 career games (2017–2021).
  • Joshua Spurlin · People strong
    Joshua Spurlin is an American wrestler from Galax, Virginia. He won four Virginia high school state titles from 2016 to 2019 and then wrestled for Appalachian State.
  • Ed Spurlin · People strong
    Ed Spurlin is a former Auburn University football player from Opp, Alabama. He was listed as a quarterback in 1984, when he played in 12 games, and as a linebacker in 1985.
  • Max Spurlin (American football) · People strong
    Max Leland Spurlin (1923–2001) was a guard for the University of North Carolina in the 1940s who also played for the 1944 Great Lakes Navy team and was on the 1949 roster of the Charlotte Clippers, a minor-league professional team.
  • Al Spurlin · People strong
    Alton Pearce "Al" Spurlin (1914–2000) was an American minor league first baseman from Atlanta who played for the Chattanooga Lookouts in 1935 and the Columbia Senators in 1936.
  • Bob Spurlin (baseball) · People strong
    Robert Eugene "Bob" Spurlin (born 1958) is an American former minor league catcher, drafted by the San Francisco Giants in 1980 out of Northern Illinois University, who played in the Giants and Pirates systems through 1984.
  • Tyler Spurlin · People strong
    Tyler Spurlin (born 1991) is an American former minor league relief pitcher from Rice University who signed with the Milwaukee Brewers as a free agent in 2013 and pitched in their system through 2019, reaching Double-A Biloxi.
  • Logan Spurlin · People strong
    Logan Spurlin (born 1994) is an American former baseball first baseman and catcher from the Chicago area who played four seasons at Northern Kentucky University and independent professional baseball in 2016.
  • Terrence Spurlin · People strong
    Terrence Spurlin (born 1998) is an American former college baseball first baseman from Cypress, Texas, who played for Kansas State from 2018 to 2022 and was named Big 12 Player of the Week in 2019.
  • Jimmy Spurlin · People strong
    James Kenneth "Jimmy" Spurlin Sr. (1935–2006) was a coach, banker and local official in Tifton, Georgia, who chaired the Tift County Commission and was honored by the Tift County (2016) and ABAC (class of 2022) athletic halls of fame.
  • Gwen Cottle Spurlin · People strong
    Gwendolyn "Gwen" Cottle Spurlin (1937–2022) was a Tifton High School basketball star. She scored 700 points in the 1954–55 season and was inducted into the Tift County Athletic Hall of Fame a week before her death.
  • Johnny Spurlin · People strong
    Johnny Spurlin is a Tifton, Georgia, lawyer and longtime basketball coach at Tift County High School. He was named head boys' coach in 2005, took the Blue Devils to the 2007 state Final Four, and later returned as an assistant to Tommy Blackshear.
  • Cindy Shore Spurlin · People strong
    Cindy Shore Spurlin is a former Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College (ABAC) softball player. She was a 1992 NJCAA All-American, set several school single-season records and entered the ABAC Athletic Hall of Fame in 2026.
  • Steve Spurlin (basketball coach) · People strong
    Steve Spurlin is an American basketball coach who led the Blinn College men's basketball program in Brenham, Texas, for 11 seasons before resigning in August 2009.
  • Ashley Spurlin · People strong
    Ashley Spurlin is a U.S. Air Force combat controller and Bronze Star recipient who competed on season 2 of History Channel's Top Shot (2011).
  • Chris Spurling (Spurling variant) · People strong
    Chris Spurling (born 1977) is an American former Major League Baseball relief pitcher who played for the Detroit Tigers and Milwaukee Brewers from 2003 to 2007.
  • Greg Spurling (Spurling variant) · People strong
    Greg Spurling is a former American college basketball center from Knoxville, Tennessee. The Phoenix Suns drafted him in the fifth round in 1986, and he later signed with the Suns and the Chicago Bulls, but he was waived each time and never played in an NBA game.
  • Dudley Spurling (Spurling variant) · People strong
    Sir Dudley Spurling (1913–1986) was a Bermudian lawyer, 1936 Olympic swimmer, 1934 Empire Games discus thrower and Speaker of the House of Assembly of Bermuda (1972–76). He was a founding partner of the law firm now called Appleby.
  • Spurlins in baseball records · Culture strong
    A roundup of the eleven baseball players surnamed Spurlin in Baseball-Reference's register of minor league, independent and college players, from two 1935 minor league first basemen to recent NCAA players. None reached the major leagues.
  • Spurlins in college athletics · Culture mixed
    A roundup of adult college athletes and coaches surnamed Spurlin listed on official college athletics rosters, in sports from basketball and volleyball to track and football, plus college and high school hall-of-fame inductees.
  • Spurlins in athletic halls of fame · Culture strong
    A roundup of people surnamed Spurlin who have been inducted into college, county and high school athletic halls of fame, with notes on the state coaching halls and Olympic records that list no Spurlin.
  • Spurling athletes in Britain and Australia (variant spelling) · People strong
    Sportsmen and sports figures with the related surname Spurling outside the United States. They include the England rugby international Aubrey Spurling (1856–1945), the Footscray footballers Bill Spurling (1907–1972) and Bob Spurling, the Australian lightweight rower Stephen Spurling and his mother, the Tasmanian rowing administrator Marj Spurling, and the English rugby hooker Scott Spurling.
  • Spurlins in fishing and golf · Culture mixed
    A roundup of Spurlins found in tournament bass fishing and amateur golf records, including co-anglers in FLW and Major League Fishing events and a 1963 U.S. Senior Amateur competitor.
  • Notable Spurlins · People strong
    An index of notable people surnamed Spurlin, with related Spurling-surname figures listed separately as variants.

References

  1. ↑ ↑ Baseball Players with Last Names Starting with S — Baseball-Reference.com — Major league player index Reference
  2. ↑ Football Players with Last Names Starting with S — Pro-Football-Reference.com — Player index lists no Spurlin or Spurling (nearest names: Micheal Spurlock, Steve Spurrier); read via Internet Archive snapshot, 2026-07-27 Reference
  3. ↑ ↑ NBA & ABA Players with Last Names Starting with S — Basketball-Reference.com — Player index lists no Spurlin or Spurling (checked Sept. 2026) Reference
  4. ↑ ↑ Register Players Starting with "Sp" — Baseball-Reference.com — Minor league, college and amateur register Reference
  5. ↑ Local athletes to be honored Saturday at Hall of Fame ceremony — Tifton Gazette News
  6. ↑ Tift Athletic Hall of Fame inducts Class of 2020 in ceremony — Tifton Gazette News
  7. ↑ Joshua Spurlin — Wrestling — App State Athletics — University roster biography covering both brothers' state titles Official
  8. ↑ ↑ Max Spurlin — Pro Football Archives — 1949 Charlotte Clippers; neighbouring player IDs are Spurgeon and Spurlock Reference
  9. ↑ ↑ Greg Spurling — Basketball-Reference.com Reference
  10. ↑ Search Results: spurlin — College Football at Sports-Reference.com — Database search listing seven players (five Spurlins, two Spurlings); read 2026-09-24 Reference
  11. ↑ Larry Spurlin College Stats — Sports-Reference.com — Wisconsin linebacker; one interception in 1978 and one in 1981 (also confirmed via Internet Archive snapshot, 2015-09-18) Reference
  12. ↑ 1979 Wisconsin Badgers football team — Wikipedia — Roster: No. 49 Larry Spurlin, sophomore linebacker Reference
  13. ↑ 1980 Wisconsin Badgers football team — Wikipedia — Roster: No. 49 Larry Spurlin, junior linebacker Reference
  14. ↑ 1981 Wisconsin Badgers football team — Wikipedia — Infobox lists Larry Spurlin as a captain; roster lists him as senior linebacker No. 49 Reference
  15. ↑ Alex Spurlin — Football 1986 — Auburn Tigers Official Athletics Website — University roster archive: strong safety, junior, hometown Opp Official
  16. ↑ Alex Spurlin College Stats — Sports-Reference.com — Auburn defensive back, 1985–1986 punt returns Reference
  17. ↑ Ed Spurlin — Football 1985 — Auburn Tigers Official Athletics Website — University roster archive: linebacker, sophomore, hometown Opp Official
  18. ↑ Ed Spurlin College Stats — Sports-Reference.com — Auburn quarterback, 1984 Reference
  19. ↑ James Spurlin (1992) — Hall of Fame — Kentucky State University Athletics Official
  20. ↑ 2013 Hall of Fame Class — Santa Fe College Athletics Official
  21. ↑ List of all the WNBA Players with Last Names Starting with S — Basketball-Reference.com — No Spurlin or Spurling (checked Sept. 2026) Reference
  22. ↑ Search Results for spurlin — RealGM — Players listed with college careers only (checked Sept. 2026) Reference
  23. ↑ AFL Players, letter S — ArenaFan.com — Surnames beginning Sp run from Spady to Spicer (Spady, Spain, Spann, Spanos, Sparrow, Spears, Speed, Spellman, Spencer, Sperduto, Spicer), followed by Squitieri; no Spurlin or Spurling (checked Sept. 2026) Reference
  24. ↑ CFLdb Statistics — The Canadian Football Statistics Database — Site now says 'The final whistle has sounded on CFLdb Statistics' and that it is not affiliated with the CFL Reference
  25. ↑ Athlete search: Spurlin — Olympedia — Returned 0 athletes (Sept. 2026) Reference
  26. ↑ Dudley Spurling — Olympedia — Bermuda, swimming, 1936 Summer Olympics Reference
  27. ↑ Liquipedia — esports wiki network — Full-text searches via the MediaWiki API of 20 game wikis (Counter-Strike, Dota 2, League of Legends, Valorant, Rocket League, Fortnite, Overwatch, Smash, fighting games, Apex Legends, Call of Duty, Halo, StarCraft II, Hearthstone, PUBG, Rainbow Six, EA Sports FC, Age of Empires, Warcraft, Trackmania), Sept. 2026; only one tournament entrant list matched Reference

#sports #roundup

Last reviewed 2026-09-24.