Former BHS and BC standout, NFL defensive lineman Musgrove dies at 76
Aug. 24—Former NFL defensive lineman and Bob Elias Kern County Sports Hall of Fame member Spain Musgrove died Friday morning in Washington, D.C., his friend Robert Bethea told The Californian. Musgrove was 76.
Musgrove attended Bakersfield High School, Bakersfield College and Utah State University, where he is the only Aggie ever to wear No. 00. A second-round pick in the 1967 NFL Draft, he started 19 games across a four-year career in Washington and Houston, including eight games for the 1969 Washington team coached by Green Bay Packers legend Vince Lombardi. Musgrove was inducted into the Bakersfield High School Hall of Fame in 2008 and the Bob Elias Hall of Fame in 2013.
"I saw him have a drive that was unreal," his younger brother Wendell Musgrove said.
Bethea, who grew up with Musgrove in Bakersfield and attended BC with him, said his success didn't come as a surprise: "It was something we accepted, and expected, out of a lot of the athletes from Bakersfield."
But it didn't get to his head. Bethea said he used to call Musgrove "the humble giant": Musgrove would come back to Bakersfield once or twice a year, and loved to get out to football games at BHS and talk to the players.
"He never forgot where he came from... We got so many athletes that have gone pro, and they never return, never contribute," Bethea said.
Mike Keese, a previous president of the board of directors of the Bob Elias Hall of Fame, played with Musgrove at BHS and BC. In those days, Musgrove was quiet, Keese said, but beloved.
"I don't know of anybody that did not like Spain," Keese said. "He was fun to be around."
As well liked as Musgrove was in Bakersfield, he managed to contribute to his adopted community of Washington, too, doing plenty of humanitarian work there after his pro football career ended.
While coaching the defensive line for the University of the District of Columbia in 1977, he served as director of a local Boys Club (now Boys & Girls Club).
"Wherever he went with those kids, he made sure that they got respect," Wendell Musgrove said.
Later in life, Musgrove was also an elder statesman in the NFLPA Former Players Washington chapter. Kurt Pierce, a fellow chapter member, recalls Musgrove ("very kind, patient and a little bit silly and fun") working in a sort of treasurer role, and enthusiastically designing logos and apparel for the group.
"He was one of the oldest players in our chapter that actually participated," Pierce said, "so he had a really big heart for being engaged with other former players."
The players association issued a statement on Monday: "We are deeply saddened at the passing of Spain Musgrove. Spain spent four years in the NFL for Houston and Washington and was a fixture at (Washington) Chapter Events. Our thoughts & prayers go out to his family and friends during this difficult time."
Wendell Musgrove said he and his brother argued playfully about who would die earlier for years: "We took it as a race." Ultimately, Spain finished first, but his brother said Spain was prepared.
"He wasn't afraid of death," Wendell Musgrove said, "and I enjoyed him for that."
Reporter Henry Greenstein can be reached at 661-395-7374. Follow him on Twitter: @HenryGreenstein.
