Tim Spencer is a career quality starter β a running back whose body of work places Spencer in the top quarter of all players at the position historically. The Knox model values sustained contribution over flash, and Spencer's career arc reflects exactly that kind of reliable professional-grade performance.
Tim Spencer
Height6'1"
Weight220 lb
BornDec 10, 1960
Age65
CollegeOhio StateSee College Stats
Rookie yr1985
Draft1983 Β· Rd 11, Pick 307 Β· SDG
A high-end running back defined as much by exceptional availability β almost never missed time as by their on-field impact (top 20% all-time). Coaches and teammates could count on them being available.
Career Value Β· VORP
VORP 55 Β· #1938 Β· Above AverageWorth 55 points of value above a freely-available replacement running back β top 43% of all 4,642 ranked at the position. 5 of 5 seasons cleared the replacement bar, by +11 on average.See board β
Seasons above replacement
5 cleared
Beat replacement (adds to VORP) Below it β adds 0, never a debit
50
Replacement
the KC-H bar
β
5
Seasons over
cleared the bar
Γ
+11
Avg surplus
peak +18
5 seasons Γ ~11 surplus β VORP 55
Combined Season Grid
The full season-by-season grids, joined on one timeline. Every selected stat family stays visible at onceβno tab hopping.
3 grids split in one view
| Season | Age | Team | G | GS | Rushing | Receiving | Defense | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Att | Yds | TD | Y/A | TD% | 1D | 1D% | Fmb | Tgt | Rec | Yds | TD | Ctch% | Y/R | Y/Tgt | AirYd/T | 1D | Tkl | Solo | Ast | TFL | QBHits | Sk | Dis | Int | PD | FF | FR | TD | Sfty | |||||
| 1985 | β | LAC | 16 | β | 124 | 478 | 10 | 3.9 | 8.1 | β | β | β | β | 11 | 135 | 0 | β | 12.3 | β | β | β | 1 | 1 | β | β | β | 0.0 | 0.0 | β | 0 | 0 | β | β | β |
| 1986 | β | LAC | 14 | β | 99 | 350 | 6 | 3.5 | 6.1 | β | β | β | β | 6 | 48 | 0 | β | 8.0 | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β |
| 1987 | β | LAC | 12 | β | 73 | 228 | 0 | 3.1 | 0.0 | β | β | β | β | 17 | 123 | 0 | β | 7.2 | β | β | β | 2 | 2 | β | β | β | 0.0 | 0.0 | β | 0 | 0 | β | β | β |
| 1988 | β | LAC | 16 | β | 44 | 215 | 0 | 4.9 | 0.0 | β | β | β | β | 1 | 14 | 0 | β | 14.0 | β | β | β | 4 | 4 | β | β | β | 0.0 | 0.0 | β | 0 | 0 | β | β | β |
| 1989 | β | LAC | 16 | β | 134 | 521 | 3 | 3.9 | 2.2 | β | β | β | β | 18 | 112 | 0 | β | 6.2 | β | β | β | 4 | 4 | β | β | β | 0.0 | 0.0 | β | 0 | 0 | β | β | β |
| Career | β | 74 | β | 474 | 1,792 | 19 | 3.8 | 4.0 | β | β | β | 0 | 53 | 432 | 0 | β | 8.2 | β | β | β | 11 | 11 | β | β | β | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | β | β | |
Rushing
Receiving
Defense
KV-H Anatomy
KV-H 62 Β· Strong StarterA strong starter career by KV-H: a well-rounded profile that scores 62 of 100, era-normalized against rush yds/g peers across 5 scored seasons.
61
Sustained
career value
Γ.6
64
Peak
best 3 seasons
Γ.4
Γ1
Longevity
career length
Blend 62.2 Γ longevity 1 = KV-H 62Β· confidence 100%
What builds the career mark of 61
On-field 42.2
Availability 18.8
On-field production Staying available
Season-by-season quality (era-relative rush yds/g)
1985bestavg 611989
All-Time Standing
how this career measures against the all-time greats at the position11
Depth
of 100
Reached 12% of the all-time Rushing Touchdowns leader β a rotational/depth all-time profile at the position.
12% of the all-time Rushing Touchdowns leader12
0 categories β₯25% of the all-time leader0
A 0β100 scale where 100 = matched the all-time leaderat this position. Built only from visible encyclopedia data β career production vs. the all-time leader, plus efficiency (EPA) and comparable-player confidence β so it's a transparent context score, not a subjective rating. Tiers: Elite β₯ 85 Β· Strong β₯ 65 Β· Solid β₯ 45 Β· Depth < 45. Comparable-player confidence: 90%.
Career Aging Trajectory
vs. position group average Β· KV-H basisAmber = this player (normalized to own peak). Indigo = average RBs aging curve. Group peak age: 21. Source: StatVault KV-H era (1999+).
College stats are not imported for this profile yet.
StatVault has the verified college attribution (Ohio State), but no parsed college box-score table is present in this profile artifact. The section stays here so every profile has a consistent college-stats landing point without fabricating unavailable rows.
Reference Graph
Career teammates and draft class, derived from year-by-year rosters β every name is linked.
Top Teammates
Billy Ray Smith Jr.LB5yRalf MojsiejenkoP4yCurtis AdamsRB4yJoe PhillipsNT3yEric SieversTE3yJamie HollandWR3yMark HerrmannQB3yBarry ReddenRB2yBuford McGeeRB2yMark VlasicQB2yDarrin NelsonRB1yBilly Joe TolliverQB1yCalvin MuhammadWR1yAnthony JonesTE1yJesse BendrossWR1yTim MoffettWR1yTom FlickQB1yChris FaulknerTE1yBruce MathisonQB1yBabe LaufenbergQB1yDana BrinsonWR1y
1983 Draft ClassΒ· this player went #307
#253Byron WilliamsWR#256Anthony HutchisonRB#267Tom RamseyQB#268Ralph GiacomarroP#272Bruce MathisonQB#277Mervyn FernandezWR#280Jim Bob TaylorQB#288Boyce GreenRB#297Mark WitteTE#299Bucky ScribnerP#301Mike HarmonWR#313Oliver WilliamsWR#320Julius DawkinsWR#322Allama MatthewsTE#334Anthony CarterWR#335John TuggleRB
Franchise Succession
the room, before and afterTim inherited the Los Angeles Chargers RB room from Lionel James (1984β1988), and handed it to Rod Bernstine (1987β1992).
Similar Players
Statistical + physical similarity across every player in the database, position-relevant (0β100%).
Movementderived from season history
- 1989final season
Last recorded season with LAC
- 1985team change
Joined LAC (from SDG)
- 1983draft
Drafted by SDG β Round 11, Pick 307
Athletic & Unique Profile
verified measurements and curated source-tagged facts6'1" / 220 lb
Frame
Knox
StatVault's proprietary player intelligence, informed by full career data. How Knox works β
Historical Knox Β· KV-H
Era-normalized career quality β z-scored against 5-season peers. See all β
62
peak 64
Season Report CardsΒ· KV-H era-normalized per season
B1985
C+1986
C+1987
C+1988
B1989
Availability
Career durability β games played vs. scheduled, across 5 seasons.
94%
Era Translator
Rush Yds translated to the 2025NFL β each season's standing among its own-era peers, projected onto 2025's scoring environment. Modern-era (1999+) coverage.
| Season | Actual Rush Yds | Rush Yds/G | β 2025 Rush Yds | β 2025 /G |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 478 | 29.9 | 693+215 | 40.8 |
| 1986 | 350 | 25 | 615+265 | 36.1 |
| 1987 | 228 | 19 | 534+306 | 31.4 |
| 1988 | 215 | 13.4 | 422+207 | 24.8 |
| 1989 | 521 | 32.6 | 859+338 | 50.5 |
Data: nflverse:draft_picks, nflverse:players, wikipedia:season-stats (CC-BY-SA, facts-only), nfl.com:official-stats (facts-only reference), nfl.com:official-stats (games-played, facts-only reference) Β· multi-source verified via the StatVault Oracle Β· updated 6/18/2026
Career Value Β· VORP
55 career value over replacement β #1938 all-time of 4,642. 11/season above a replacement-level RB.
Draft OutcomeSteal β
Pick #307 (Rd 11) Β· SDG Β· 1983 Β· +54 vs expected KV-H
62actual
8 expected Β· Ξ+54
Fan Rating
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