Spencer was selected by the Chicago Blitz of the USFL in 1983 after a college football career at Ohio State University, where he ran for 1,371 yards in his senior season with the Buckeyes.
Spencer shared the backfield with Kevin Long as the starting running back with Chicago and rushed for 1157 yards on 300 carries with six touchdowns in his rookie season.
The following season, he played for the Memphis Showboats and rushed for 789 yards on 198 carries with three touchdowns.
He was a limited reserve for the rest of his career with the Chargers and retired after the 1990 season.
In 1994, Spencer returned to Ohio State to be their running backs coach, a position he held until 2003.