Career
He was elected to the South Carolina Athletics Hall of Fame in 1974, and the Athletics Hall of Fame in 1981. Citizens of Greenville raised the money for his college tuition, making him the first player ever recruited to University. Speer also played basketball, baseball, and track.
He was captain of the football team for two years, the basketball team two years, and the baseball team one year.
Contemporary opinion held Speer as the greatest athlete in school history. Football
Speer was a running back, playing quarterback and halfback on Billy Laval"s Purple Hurricane.
= 1919 Speer was selected All-Southern quarterback by Atlanta Journal sporting editor Morgan Blake in 1919. = 1920 Before the season he and coach Laval spent time at the University of Illinois learning strategy.
Teammates included quarterback Milton McManaway and lineman Manning Jeter.
Baseball
Speer batted.400 in each of his three seasons on the baseball team Speer coached at Greenville High School for 21 years, taking his team all the way to the state final in 1938 and 1944.