Charles Christopher Spielman was born on 11 October 1965, in Canton, Ohio USA, to Nancy and Charles Spielman. He is a former American Football player, who now works for Fox NFL as an analyst. He is best known for playing as linebacker for the Detroit Lions in the National Football League (NFL).
So just how wealthy is Chris Spielman? According to sources, Spielman has collected a net worth of over $4 million, as of early 2017. His wealth has been accumulated through his involvement in football and broadcasting.
Chris Spielman Net Worth $4 Million
Spielman grew up in Ohio, along with his brother, the current Minnesota Vikings’ general manager Rick Spielman. He attended Washington High School in Massillon, where he became an avid football player, receiving the Dial Award for the national high-school scholar-athlete of the year, and appearing on a Wheaties box – the only high school athlete to achieve that status. He later enrolled at the Ohio State University, joining the school’s football team, the Ohio State Buckeeys, and receiving the Lombardi Award as the best football linebacker in the college. He was a two-time All-American and the Ohio State football team MVP, and was also honored with the Touchdown Club of Columbus’s Chic Harley Award.
In 1988 Spielman was drafted in the second round, as the 29th overall pick by the Detroit Lions in the NFL Draft. During his eight-year tenure with the Lions, he captained the team’s defense, which was one of the statistically best performing in the NFL during that time. He recorded 10 sacks, four interceptions, 13 forced fumbles, 17 fumble recoveries, and 30 pass defenses, and was the team’s all-time leader in career tackles with 1,138, leading in tackles for seven consecutive seasons. He was also named the team’s defensive MVP. His career with the Lions included four Pro Bowl visits and a NFC Championship Game appearance. It enabled him to reach a high level of popularity, and to earn a sizable net worth.
He intensified that wealth in 1996, when he joined the Buffalo Bills, setting a team and personal record with 206 tackles that year. The following season saw limited games from the player, due to a neck injury, and Spielman was out of game for the entire 1998 season, spending time with his wife who battled with cancer.
He returned to football in 1999, joining the Cleveland Browns. However, after suffering another neck injury, he was forced to retire before the season’s start.
As an aside, in 1995, Spielman played at Wrestlemania XI, apparently just for fun!
Spielman may have retired as a player, but he immediately pursued a career in broadcasting, becoming an NFL studio-show analyst for the Fox Sports Net. Two years later, he joined ESPN, serving as color and studio analyst for college football. He then served as a color analyst for the Lions during the pre-season, and later became a host of the network’s reality series “Summer House” and “Rise Up”. All added to his net worth.
Spielman has also served as a contributor to ESPN Radio affiliate station 97.1 The Fan and has regularly appeared on the sports-talk radio station AM 1270 WXYT, additionally improving his wealth.
Meanwhile, he attempted to get hired as the vacant head coach at Ohio State in 2000, but without success. For a short time in 2005, he served as the coach of the Arena Football Team the Columbus Destroyers.
Mosat recently, in 2016, he became a game analyst for the Fox NFL program.
Aside from football and broadcasting, Spielman has also written a book called “That’s Why I Am Herehere”, released in 2012.
In his private life, Spielman was married to Stephanie Spielman, who passed away in 2009 after her decade-long battle with breast cancer. The couple had four children. Together they they founded The Stefanie Spielman Fund for Breast Cancer Research in 1999, raising over $8.5 million for cancer research. As of 2013, he has been married to Carrie Yoccom, with whom he has two children. They live in Columbus, Ohio.
