User:Guambrme/sandbox

Willie D. Spears, Jr. (born October 20. 1977) is an American motivational speaker, author, coach, licensed minister, and award-winning teacher. He has also worked as a syndicated radio personality and a national columnist. Spears speaks to schools, companies, sports teams, churches, prison inmates, and individuals through his business, The Willie Spears Experience. Excerpts from his speeches have more than one million views on social media.

Early Life
Spears, born in Panama City, Florida, is the great, great grandson of Jose Massalina, the first black man to settle in Panama City. He is the great grandson of Hawk Massalina who fought in the Civil War for the Union and the Confederacy and lived to be 107 years old. Spears has written two children's books about Massalina: Who was Hawk Massalina? (2020) and George and Hawk's Big Adventure (2023).

Spears graduated from Rutherford High School and stayed in his hometown to attend Gulf Coast State College and Florida State University Panama City before transferring to Northwestern Oklahoma State University (NWOSU) in Alva, Oklahoma, where he was a starting wide receiver for the NWOSU Rangers football team. He led the Rangers in receptions and was part of a 31-game win-streak. During the 1999 NAIA National Championship, Spears caught a 73-yard pass with less than four minutes to play to seal the win for his team. NWOSU beat Georgetown College 34-26 despite trailing 20-0 at the half. While at Northwestern, Spears was active on campus within the Mass Communication Department and was twice named the Best College Disk Jockey in the State of Oklahoma.

Spears earned a bachelor's degree in communication from NWOSU in 2000 and master's degree in education from Troy University in 2007. In 2008, NWOSU awarded him the Alumni Foundation Outstanding Graduate Award in Education.

Spears' athletic and communication abilities led him to many opportunities following college. He was part of an indoor professional football league for two years in Boise, Idaho, entertained as a comedian on Disney Cruise Line, and was a morning radio personality in his hometown and Rochester, New York.

Teaching and Coaching
When Spears decided to become a teacher, he failed the certification test 12 times, but went on to work as a teacher, administrator, and coach for 20 years, winning numerous awards for his efforts. He coached at the NCAA Division I and Division II levels, was athletic director at three high schools and head football coach of seven high schools.

His first head football coaching job was at Jefferson County High School in Monticello, Florida where he was named Coach of the Year by for organizations, including the Florida Athletic Coaches Association, Tallahassee Democrat, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and 4quartersonline.com. Spears stayed in Florida and worked as the head football coach for two seasons at Suwannee High School and two seasons at Class 6A Escambia High School, a program that featured star running back Emmett Smith in the 1980s.

During two seasons at Escambia, Spears led the Yellow Jackets to a 14-8 record and one district title. Escambia County Schools Superintendent Malcolm Thomas fired Spears in 2014 for his involvement in Florida High School Athletic recruiting violations. Spears was later vindicated of the charges. A few months later, Spears was hired as a morning show host on Blab TV in Pensacola, Florida, with his former boss Thomas offering a positive recommendation. Spears was among 60 people selected for interviews after more than 250 people applied. That same year, the Bay County branch of the National Association of Advancement of Colored People recognized Spears for his accomplishments.