Inducted in 2005 as a Veteran Road & Track Competitor (Pre-1945)

Biography  (Born in 1896, died in 1963)

Born November 11, 1895 in England, “Willie” became a U.S. citizen in 1947. Spencer started racing at the age of 15 in Canada in 1910 as an amateur.

William Spencer turned professional in 1916 to ride a New York six-day race. In 1917 Spencer won his first six-day race in San Francisco, CA. He finished 4th in the American Sprint Championship in 1917 & 1918.

The US Army drafted him in Aug. 1918 and he served until January 1919. After the war he went to Europe to race. When he returned, he came back to win 18 out of 23 match races in Philadelphia during the 1919 racing season. In 1920 he went to Australia and won a six-day race in Sydney. While there he set the world record for the quarter mile, in twenty five seconds.

In 1921 he showed his real class by leading the American sprint races, but finished second to Frank Kramer. Spencer went to Paris in the winter season and won 15 out of 22 races. He came back to America and won the American Sprint title in 1922, 1923 and 1926. He died October 2, 1963 at the age of 67 years old.