Sam Spence

Samuel Lloyd Spence (born March 29, 1927) is an American soundtrack composer best known for his work with NFL Films. His work has also been on the EA Sports Madden NFL football videogames and countless football-related commercials.
A former USC music instructor living and working in Munich, Spence was hired in 1966 to score the mini-aries that conveyed NFL highlights and personalities to fans in the network-television era. Spence's music cues combined with the baritone voice of John Facenda to remarkable artistic effect, created the now trademark style of sports highlights videos of the NFL. Spence, together with Steve Sabol and the NFL Films crew can arguably be credited with a significant role in making American football the top professional sport in the U.S.
Initially Mahlon Merrick was asked to provide scores for NFL Films. A friend of Spence, Merrick asked Spence to help in the session. "Mahlon had written marches," said Spence. "Toward the end of that recording session, I stuck in a couple of different pieces—my own orchestral compositions with strings and woodwinds, more like a Hollywood film score. It turned out they were Ed Sabol's favorites and he offered me a three-year contract to write, conduct, and produce NFL Films' music."
In Germany Sam Spence wrote several TV soundtracks with Hani Chamseddine, e.g., for the Francis Durbridge thriller "Wie ein Blitz". After his retirement in 1990 he returned to Munich. He achieved unexpected fame in 1998 with the success of a CD compilation entitled The Power And The Glory: The Original Music & Voices Of NFL Films.