In 2011, Spates stepped down as head coach at the University of Oklahoma in order to pursue ministry.[3] In 2014, Spates endorsed the book "Faith and Wrestling: How the Role of a Wrestler Mirrors the Christian Life" by author Michael Fessler, which in one of its chapters highlights Spates's life, wrestling and coaching career, and his Christian faith.
M. Fessler, Faith and Wrestling: How the Role of a Wrestler Mirrors the Christian Life, (Bloomington, IN: Westbow Press, 2015). - originally published in 2014 with Crossbooks publishing