Saleem Spence

Saleem Spence

No. 83 – Sarasota Sailfish
Position:	Wide Receiver
Personal information
Born:	(2020-11-01)November 1, 2020 (aged 40) Cape Town, South Africa
Height:	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Weight:	230 lb (104 kg)
Username:	StadiumGambler
Career information
High school:	Southside High School (Winnipeg, MB)
College:	University of Manitoba
ISFL Draft:	Season 28 / Round: 3 / Pick: 31
DSFL Draft:	Season 27 / Round: 5 / Pick: 37
Career history
Roster status:	Active
Player stats at ISFL.net

Saleem Spence (born November 1, 2000) is an American football wide receiver playing for the Sarasota Sailfish of the ISFL. He played college football for University of Manitoba, and spent two years in the DSFL for the Portland Pythons.

Early years

Saleem Spence was born in Cape Town, to his parents Dr. Malcolm and Jocinda Spence. He moved at the age of 8 to Compton, California, after his father's workplace was subjected to terroristic bomb threats and abuse, due to Dr. Spence's pro-vaccination stance.

Saleem Spence was a Pop Warner football player for several years in Compton, also excelling in youth soccer and basketball before choosing football as his full time sport. The Spence family moved to Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada 6 years later, after Saleem was targeted by both the Bloods and the Crips gangs in Compton due to Dr. Spence treating wounded members of both gangs.

Saleem Spence played football for 4 years at Southside High School in Winnipeg, setting provincial records in his senior year for single-season receptions (151), single-season receiving yards (2231), receptions in a single game (20, against Shit Creek Collegiate), and receiving yards in a single game (311, in the same game against Shit Creek Collegiate). Saleem Spence helped lead the Southside High Raptors to the Manitoba Provincial High School Championship in his senior year, and was named Manitoba's Most Outstanding High School Football Player.

College career

Saleem Spence declared for the University of Manitoba after his senior year of high school, rejecting several offers of Canadian and American schools, citing a desire to remain close to his family.

In his freshman year, Spence was used in a depth role, catching 49 passes for 630 yards and 4 touchdowns. The Manitoba Bison fell to the Calgary Dinos in the Hardy Trophy semifinals.

In his sophomore year, Spence was used as a more important piece of the offense, catching 65 passes for 911 yards and 11 touchdowns. The Manitoba Bison finished 6-2 on the year, and won the Hardy Trophy over the Saskatchewan Huskies 41-27, with Spence catching 12 passes for 187 yards and 3 touchdowns. The Manitoba Bison went on to win the Vanier Cup, defeating the Laval Rouge et Or 9-6 in a sleet-soaked final.

In his junior year, Spence caught 68 passes for 947 yards and 14 touchdowns in the first six and a half games of the season, before being benched at halftime of Manitoba's 30-27 loss to the Regina Rams, due to a heated disagreement with Manitoba Head Coach Drake Letterman. Spence would eventually leave the team after Manitoba officials refused to fire Letterman for perceived deficiencies in tactics and player safety. Saleem Spence declared his intent to enter the DSFL as a waiver claim after the Season 26 deadline, however the ability for DSFL teams to make waiver claims was temporarily abolished via a last-minute decision before the deadline.

College career statistics

Career statistics			Receiving
Season	Team	Games	Rec	Yards	Avg	Lg	TD
2039 (S24)	Manitoba	9	49	630	12.9	60	4
2040 (S25)	Manitoba	11	65	911	14.0	71	11
2041 (S26)	Manitoba	7	68	947	13.9	83	14

Professional career

Spence signed a short-term deal to play semi-professional football for the Battlefords Bandits of the Saskatchewan Intermediate Football League to keep sharp, and helped the Bandits win the SIFL title over the Prince Albert Knights 27-24, catching 14 passes for 146 yards and 2 touchdowns in the final game.

Pre-draft measurables

Ht	Wt	40‑yd dash	20‑ss	3‑cone	Vert jump	Broad	BP	Wonderlic
6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	230 lb (104 kg)	4.49 s	7.15 s	4.51 s	38 in (0.97 m)	11 ft 0 in (3.35 m)	16 250 lb. reps	30 / 50

Season 27

After impressing with his work ethic in the combine and interviews, Spence declared for the Season 27 DSFL Draft, and was selected in the 5th round (37th overall) by the Portland Pythons. Spence impressed enough in Portland's camp to win the starting job as the second Wide Receiver, behind the veteran Quavious McGrady. Spence

Season 33

Spence finally had his breakout season in Season 33, setting career highs in receptions (118, good for 3rd in the league) and receiving yards (1456, 6th in the league), while matching his rookie season touchdown haul with another 8 in Season 33. Spence's most notable game came against the Baltimore Hawks in Week 10, catching 7 passes for 124 yards, including receptions of 34 and 16 yards on the go-ahead touchdown drive that gave Sarasota a 35-30 win. Spence was particularly well-regarded for his rapport with rookie Sarasota Quarterback Carter Knight, helping him develop by giving him a safety valve to throw to in high-pressure situations.

Sarasota would finish Season 33 with a 12-4 record and obtained the first seed in the NSFC, but unfortunately lost to Baltimore in the ASFC Conference Championship game 30-24. Spence had 6 receptions for 52 yards in the loss.

Spence was named to the Pro Bowl for the NSFC in the Flex spot, alongside Baltimore Hawks running back Dante King.

Season 34

Spence had another strong season in Season 34, catching 107 passes for 1466 yards and 9 touchdowns (setting new single-season career highs for yards and touchdowns), helping Sarasota to a 10-5-1 record and a 3rd place finish in the NSFC. Spence had a highlight reel 88 yard catch and run in Week 1 against the Colorado Yeti, leading to an eventual John Huntsman touchdown, and also had a notable game against the Berlin Fire Salamanders in Week 4 with 7 catches for 123 yards and 2 touchdowns. Spence was highly regarded for his catch rate, grabbing 79.85% of the passes actually thrown in his direction, and earned a nomination for Wide Receiver of the Year, ultimately losing out to Colorado wideout Cole Maxwell.

Sarasota lost their wild card playoff game to Berlin in a 35-10 blowout. Spence had 7 catches for 80 yards in the playoff loss.

Spence was nominated to his 2nd Pro Bowl, as a starting wide receiver for the NSFC team.

Season 35

Spence went down a notch to number 2 on the Sarasota wide receiver depth chart in Season 35, as a result of the team making a big free agent splash to pick up Nick Kaepercolin Jr. As a result, Spence's production fell to 86 catches for 1042 yards, although Spence did record a career high 12 touchdowns, being the favoured target of Carter Knight in the redzone. Spence's best game came in a Week 3 win over the Colorado Yeti, where he caught 6 passes for 104 yards and 4 touchdowns in a 45-23 blowout win. Unfortunately for Spence, Sarasota missed the playoffs at 7-9 in a disappointing year for them.

Saleem Spence found international success after the season, however. Spence changed allegiances from Team EuroCan to Team World in the Season 35 WFC, helping shore up World's wide receiver room. Spence caught 73 passes for 934 yards and 11 touchdowns in the 14 game group stage. Team World finished 9-5, and eventually won the WFC after defeating Team Northeast US 24-20 in the deciding game. Spence caught the go-ahead touchdown with 1:23 to go, catching a short 5-yard pass from Team World Quarterback Tron Carter through tough coverage for the win.

Season 36

Spence's performance declined drastically in Season 36, as the Sarasota offense restructured more around its star receiver Nick Kaepercolin Jr. Spence did catch 97 passes, 11 more than Season 35, but he racked up a career-low 879 yards. Spence received criticism for declining physical abilities, and criticism for mostly running short routes, not extending beyond the first down marker as often as previous seasons. Spence also had a career high 7 drops.

Sarasota made a good run into the playoffs, making it into Ultimus XXXVI against the Honolulu Hahalua, but fell short of the title, losing 31-28. Spence had just 5 catches for 33 yards in the Ultimus loss, and had a brutal 3rd quarter drop on a 3rd and 1, leading to a Sarasota punt and a loss of field position.

Spence signed a final one year contract extension to remain with the Sailfish for Season 37, and confirmed to several media outlets that Season 37 would be his last season as a player.

DSFL career statistics

Career statistics			Receiving
Season	Team	Games	Rec	Yards	Avg	Lg	TD
2042 (S27)	Pythons	14	80	1241	15.5	68	6
2043 (S28)	Pythons	14	72	1262	17.5	70	13

ISFL career statistics

Career statistics			Receiving
Season	Team	Games	Rec	Yards	Avg	Lg	TD
2044 (S29)	Sailfish	16	90	1100	12.2	60	8
2045 (S30)	Sailfish	16	70	887	12.7	54	2
2046 (S31)	Sailfish	16	87	901	10.4	50	4
2047 (S32)	Sailfish	16	98	1196	12.2	60	6
2048 (S33)	Sailfish	16	118	1456	12.3	75	8
2049 (S34)	Sailfish	16	107	1466	13.7	88	9
2050 (S35)	Sailfish	16	86	1042	12.1	76	12
2051 (S36)	Sailfish	16	97	879	9.1	52	8

Achievements and records

Use this section as an example.

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