On October 11th, 2025, Bates safety Major Spencer III made the most emotional interception of his career.

With the Bobcats leading by seven on the road and the Tufts University Jumbos driving late in the fourth quarter, Spencer III picked off a pass that had sailed over the intended receiver's head. The interception clinched the win for Bates.

His identical twin brother, fellow Bates safety Michael Spencer, pointed to the sky, and Major Spencer III ran to the corner of the end zone to celebrate with his teammates, in tears.

The Spencer twins played the game with heavy hearts. They'd found out the night before their father was in the ICU back home in Texas. He had suffered from Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, commonly known as Lou Gehrig's Disease, for the previous four years. And after a fall, he didn't have long to live.

Major and Michael's father, David Michael Spencer, was a darn good football player. A defensive back, he played college football at Western New Mexico and McMurry University. Then he played professionally for more than a decade in Germany and met Andrea Jones, who is the mother of their four children. David and Andrea moved to Mansfield, Texas, about 30 miles southwest of Dallas, where they raised the Spencer twins and two older sisters. 

It was a football family from day one.



"We were always talking ball," Michael Spencer says. "Sundays were dedicated to watching the NFL. We got our passion from our dad. He always pushed us to be better, and I wouldn't trade that for anything." 

David coached the Spencer twins all the way from church league flag football in second grade up until high school. 

"When we first started, Mike played quarterback and I played receiver," Major Spencer III says. "But in seventh grade we switched to the defensive side of the ball because that's where our dad played, and we haven't looked back since." 

David had high standards for his sons. He always told them, "Don't be good. Be great." And Michael found out quickly he wouldn't tolerate anything less.

"I came to one of my first padded practices in fifth grade with my iPod Touch, but I didn't bring my pads or my helmet because I thought that Major had grabbed them for me," Michael says. "That's a core memory I have and my dad just ripped into me: 'Do you want to play football? How much do you want to do this? What are you doing?'" 

Their father distributed tough love when needed, and always put in the time to help his sons thrive.

"Michael and I played one-on-one football on the street outside our house," Major says. "I remember our dad used to come home and play 'all-time quarterback' for hours after work. I know he was tired, but we stayed there until the sun went down. It made us better competitors in everything in life, and on top of that, way better football players." 

Major and Michael were always competing. They played basketball and dabbled in track & field as well. One of Major's biggest life lessons came on the basketball court.

"I remember we had tryouts for basketball in middle school," Major says. "I took a three-pointer and I airballed the shot. I remember I was laughing. And then Mike made the A team. I made the C team. I was like, there's no way our skill gap is that off. So I was distraught about it, but then the next year I made the A team and it just showed you can't worry about where you've been, just focus on the future."

The twins played football together at Lake Ridge High School in Mansfield, often competing in front of 10,000 or more fans and against the likes of current University of Texas star Colin Simmons and other future high-level Division l players. 

"High school football in Texas is just different," Michael says. "Our JV practice field was probably as big as Garcelon. Football is definitely put on a pedestal." 

When it came time to choosing a college, Michael Spencer was looking for an adventure. He had offers to walk-on at a number of institutions. But James Mayden, a Bates assistant coach at the time who had connections in Texas from his days playing at Rice, had shown a lot of interest. So Michael took a trip to campus…in the middle of a snowstorm.

"My mom was like, 'There's no way you're coming here. There's no way,'" Michael says.

"But the people drew me to this place. I feel like the community here is different. And for me, the number one thing was education. Football helped me get an opportunity here and I didn't have another offer that was even close to a NESCAC school. So I felt like this was a chance I couldn't pass up." 

Meanwhile, Major chased his Division I dream for two years at East Texas A&M. 

"Football was going well, but my head wasn't in the right place," Major says. "I was around the wrong crowd. Academics wasn't prioritized. Then the coach who recruited me there got fired. So I jumped in the portal and I talked to coach Matt Coyne and I was like, 'I want to go play with my brother.'"

With Michael and Major Spencer III now reunited at Bates, the 2025 season started with a thrilling double overtime win over Amherst. But all was not well off the field.

"Our dad had visited us early in the season and we could tell he was really deteriorating," Major says. "ALS normally takes your life in about three to five years, so we sort of knew it was coming. He got a chance to see us, see his daughters, and to see his best friend who also came up here to watch us play."

When the call came the night before the Tufts game, the Spencer brothers leaned on the community they'd found at Bates. 

"My sisters are on the phone crying, my stepmom's on the phone crying, and obviously we started getting emotional," Major says. "And then our boys, Ryan Lynskey, Jermaine Anson, Presley Green, we went to them and they consoled us for the whole night." 

The decision to play the next night was a no-brainer for the Spencers. They knew it was what their dad wanted. 

"My stepmom and my sisters were in the hospital with him, watching the game," Major says. "They had the game set up on his hospital bed so he could hear everything."

And he heard his sons have the best games of their respective careers. 

Michael tallied six total tackles, including five solo stops in the win. He broke up three passes and was named to the D3football.com Team of the Week for his efforts. Major made the aforementioned interception to secure the victory.

"Seeing him catch that ball was surreal," Michael says. "Tears were flowing. Coach Coyne ran to us, gave us a big hug, and started crying with us. And I mean these guys, the locker room, they knew what we were going through and they were there for us every step."

"My dad was with me on that play, there is no doubt in my mind," Major adds. "I prayed to God before the game: 'Be with me. I know I'm dealing with stuff, but clear my mind and allow me to play a good game.' And that's kind of how it went."

Lynskey, who rushed for 221 yards and four touchdowns in the win over Tufts, spoke afterward about how the team rallied to support Major and Michael.

"This Saturday was more than just a football game," Lynskey said on the Bates Bobcast. "I don't know how I would have been able to handle something like that. Those two guys are two of my best friends. We all just tried to be there for them and I told them that what they're doing will make their father proud." 

David Spencer passed away two days later. The Spencer twins returned to Texas for just under a week before coming back to the team for their game the following Saturday against Williams. They knew their father would want them to keep competing. 



Michael Spencer had a tremendous season in 2025 for the Bobcats. He recorded 50 total tackles and finished tied for second in the NESCAC with nine pass break-ups on his way to second team All-Region and first team All-NESCAC recognition. 

Major Spencer III had a good start to the season on the field, but an already difficult year got worse when he tore his MCL and ACL against Middlebury two weeks after the Tufts game. He missed the final two games of the season and the first two games of the 2026 campaign. 

Major returned to the field, but on strict snap counts, against Tufts and Williams. He was finally fully back this past Saturday at Wesleyan, and responded by making a career-high 15 tackles, with a career-high 11 solo stops. He also returned a blocked extra point 100 yards to get Bates on the scoreboard.

The Spencer twins are a dynamic duo at safety for the Bobcats.

"We play a position where you have to trust each other," Michael says. "You can't try to do too much, just do your job. I trust him to do his job every time. There's nobody in this world that knows me better than him. We know each other's strengths and weaknesses. They call it twin telepathy and it's real. I just know where he's at. He knows where I'm at." 

Their strong support system at Bates has been bolstered this year by their mom Andrea making the trip up to Maine and staying in a near-by Airbnb for the vast majority of the football season.

"Being from Germany, she doesn't really know much about football, but she's our biggest supporter," Michael says. "I love her to death. She's running the Bates football parents Instagram and posting pictures. When she has a task, she likes to go all-in with it, which I admire about her. She's been here since day one, and continues to be here for us every single day." 

Their mom's presence was especially helpful when it came to dealing with the one-year anniversary of their father's death. 

"She's stepped up huge in that role of being with us on days we feel bad," Major says. "October 13th happened last week and she was here making sure our mental health was good, just allowing us to thrive academically, but also giving us that extra voice in our head that we need athletically."

Michael Spencer is a senior this year, while Major Spencer III has one more year of eligibility due to a redshirt year he took at East Texas A&M. The next four games will be the final ones they play next to each other. The twins are excited to finish their time on the gridiron together on a high note. And the lessons their dad taught them stay burned in their minds.

"He always told us to look out for each other," Michael says. "Even when he was passing away, he was always like, 'Just take care of each other, take care of the girls.' It's been a year now and that's stuck with me. I'm always checking in on Major, checking on my sisters. There's not a day that goes by where I'm not thinking about him."