[3] Spiva was released by St. Louis that year when the team made its final preseason cuts.
[1] Prior to the 1978 season, Spiva was the top middle linebacker on Atlanta's depth chart before suffering a preseason knee injury.
[8] On April 3, 1979, Spiva was driving in rainy conditions when his sports car slid off of a street in the Atlanta area and it collided with a tree.
Spiva died at Northside Hospital that day after sustaining head and chest injuries.
[9] Spiva and TenNapel had been close friends since going through knee rehabilitation together the previous year.