Tigers Hall of Fame legend dies, aged 76

John 'Spook' Spencer – one of the heroes of the Balmain Tigers 'Miracle of 1969' – has died.

Spencer, aged 76, passed away after a long illness yesterday.

A hard-working back-rower, Spencer was Balmain royalty.

His father Jack was a club great in the 1940s and '50s, playing 149 games for the club.

John went one better, playing 150. Both were one-club men, playing all their football for the black and golds.

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Spencer is best remembered for the 1969 grand final, in which the Tigers – rank outsiders – scored an upset 11-2 win over the star-studded South Sydney side.

It remains the biggest boilover in grand final history.

After leaving the Tigers in 1975, Spencer moved to Newcastle, where he captain-coached Waratah Mayfield before returning to Sydney to coach the Tigers in the lower grades.

A former Balmain captain, he is also a member of the club's Hall of Fame.

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