Clarence "Doc" Spears was a well-traveled player and coach. He played at Knox in 1912 before transferring to West Point, playing there in 1914 and 1915. Spears then coached at Dartmouth, West Virginia, Minnesota, Oregon, Wisconsin, Toledo, and Maryland, compiling a 148-83-14 record. He also completed medical school during the offseason when being a college football coach was not a full-time job.

During his tenure as football coach and athletic director at Toledo, Spears tired of competing with Michigan, Ohio State, and Notre Dame for attendance and attention. So, he claimed after the 1938 season that Toledo would install lights in its Glass Bowl and play Monday night games. That never happened, but Spears’ idea presaged the NFL's Monday Night Football gig and the Mid-American Conference's midweek MACtion games that debuted in 2000.

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