Cornell University Athletics

At Cornell: A talented receiver from the tight end slot, Spooner is the favorite to open the season as the starter. A much-improved blocker, he has great hands and runs precise routes. Spooner played in all 10 games in 2007 with seven starts and caught a career-high 11 passes for 72 yards. Spooner also recorded three special teams tackles. He had a career-best five catches for 43 yards in the opening win over Bucknell and had multiple catches in two other contests. Spooner earned his first varsity letter as a sophomore after seeing action in all 10 contests, catching two passes for 20 yards and making five special teams tackles in 2006. Spooner played in two varsity games as a freshman after showcasing his tremendous receiving skills on the junior varsity. He is enrolled in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

At St. Edward: Spooner served as co-captain and earned all-league, all-county and all-district honors as a tight end at St. Edward HS. He helped his team advance to the Division I regional semifinals in 2004 by catching 22 passes for 367 yards, three touchdowns and a two-point conversion. He was also named to the Cleveland Plain Dealer all-area team. A tremendous blocker from the tight end position, he graded nearly 90 percent for his blocking, had 20 knockdown blocks and also excelled as a long snapper. He was chosen to compete in the state’s East-West all-star game and was selected for the scholar-athlete award for Northeastern Ohio by the Ohio chapter of the National Football Foundation. Spooner was also a key figure on the 2003 team that finished as state runner-up. The two-year starter at tight end also played three seasons of basketball.

Personal: Alexander James Spooner is the son of Michael and Sharon Spooner and has an older sister and younger brother, Mike, who is a freshman linebacker for the Big Red.