Newest Seahawk: Don”t let the smile fool you

KIRKLAND – The newest first-round pick of the Seattle Seahawks arrived in town Monday with a warning label.

“Don’t let my smile fool you,” University of Mississippi center Chris Spencer told the local media at his first press conference, his face cast in a perpetual grin. “Growing up, going through a lot of things in life, I learned how to turn my switch on and off.”

Spencer, who the Seahawks selected with the 26th overall pick in the weekend NFL draft, plays with an intensity that isn’t immediately evident upon first impressions.

Dressed in a brown suit and wearing a friendly smile, Spencer worked the room the way he used to troll the Ole Miss campus – extending politician-like handshakes to everyone within reach. His outgoing nature and widespread popularity earned him the nickname “Hollywood.”

The Seahawks were impressed by Spencer’s infectious personality, but they are more concerned with what he does on the field. In addition to uncanny strength and footwork for a player of his position, Spencer carries an aggressiveness that stood out on videotape.

The Seahawks like the nasty side of Spencer even more than the personable side.

“It manifests itself in terms of making sure the guy that he’s blocking stays blocked. That’s how you see it on the field,” Seahawks president Tim Ruskell said. “It’s an aggressive attitude; that little extra effort down the field to make that next block. That’s what we saw on tape, and the (Ole Miss) coaches verified it, so it must be part of his makeup.”

The source of Spencer’s drive isn’t difficult to track. He started working on his grandfather’s farm at the age of 7, getting up as early as 4 a.m. by junior high school. He continued to hold demanding jobs throughout high school, pouring concrete or helping build houses to help support his mother and three siblings.

Sharon Wallace, Spencer’s mother, had Chris when she was just 16 years old. She soon became a single mother, leaving her oldest child to help run the family.

“My dad was never around, and I had to help raise my sisters and brother while she was off at school and working,” he said. “I learned a lot and had to grow up real early. I had to be the father-figure in the house, and now everybody I talk to says I sound like a 30-year-old man.

“But I wouldn’t trade my life for anything.”

Spencer’s mother held a number of jobs over the years, but recently had to retire following a series of surgeries for a bone spur in her skull. As if playing in the NFL wasn’t enough reason for Spencer to smile Monday, he beams at the thought of being able to support his mother.

“One of the things I always told my mom was that whenever I get out on my own, I’d be able to contribute back to her,” he said.

Spencer isn’t a typical first-round pick, especially when considering the position he plays. He’s only the fourth center since 1991 taken in the first round of an draft – Steve Everitt (1993), Damien Woody (1999) and Jeff Faine (2003) were the others.

The Seahawks entered Saturday’s first round needing defensive help, but they couldn’t resist the temptation to take a center with uncanny strength and skill.

“To find a man as powerful as Chris, and who can move like Chris, those guys don’t come around,” coach Mike Holmgren said. “It’s rare to find a guy with Chris’ power and size (6-foot-3, 309 pounds) who can move like him.”

Spencer also has a rare outlook for a first-round pick. While many join their new teams with a feeling of entitlement, Spencer has more of a blue-collar approach.

“It’s a job. You’ve got to bring your hardhat,” he said. “I think I brought two or three hardhats (to Seattle).”

Not that he sees football as hard work.

“Looking back on all I’ve done, and how I was raised and all the work I had to do, (football) practice is easy,” he said. “When you’re used to going out in the 100-degree Mississippi heat, with no shade, and pouring concrete, practice is easy.

“Work is going out and digging a ditch and pouring concrete all day. That’s tough.”

Don’t be fooled by the outward exuberance. Chris Spencer knows what it means to be tough.