Damien Spates competed in cross country for three seasons, and seasons each in indoor and outdoor track and field, serving as team captain while a senior. Spates was a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) national champion in the outdoor 4x800m relay in 1998. He was a Mid-Ohio Conference champion in the 4x400m relay in 1996 and ’97, and a Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) champion in the indoor 800m (1999) and outdoor 4x400m relay (1998 and ’99).
Spates was named All-GLIAC in the indoor 400m (1998), indoor 800m (1999), outdoor 800m (1998 and ’99), indoor 4x400m relay (1999) and outdoor 4x400m relay (1998 and ’99). He earned NAIA All-America honors five times; indoor 600m (1999), indoor 4x400m relay (1996, ’97 and ’98), outdoor 4x400m relay (1996), indoor 4x800m relay (1998 and ’99) and outdoor 4x800m ( (1998). Spates was named an NAIA All-America Scholar-Athlete for cross country in 1998, and for track and field in both 1998 and 1999. He remains a record-holder at Findlay in both the indoor 4x800m relay (7:42.70, 1999) and the outdoor 4x800m relay (7:34.05, 1999).
An accomplished student, Spates served as vice president and then president of the Black Student Union, received the UF African-American Student Leadership Award, was named Aristos Eklektos Outstanding Senior, was selected as the Outstanding Senior in Marketing and received the Mancuso Trophy as the outstanding male student-athlete at Findlay. Spates is a certified internal auditor for PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. and resides in University Heights, Ohio, with his wife of three years, Lecia.
