Don Clark (American football)
Born: | Churdan, Iowa, U.S. | December 22, 1923
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Died: | August 6, 1989 Huntington Beach, California, U.S. | (aged 65)
Career information | |
Position(s) | Guard, linebacker |
Height | 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) |
Weight | 197 lb (89 kg) |
College | USC |
Career history | |
As player | |
1948–1949 | San Francisco 49ers |
Donald Rex Clark (December 22, 1923 – August 6, 1989) was an
Early career
This article needs additional citations for verification. (August 2017) |
Clark was born in
Playing alongside teammates including John Ferraro and Paul Salata, he returned to USC for the 1946 and 1947 seasons, and was captain of the latter team which lost the 1948 Rose Bowl to Michigan.
He served in a rifle platoon during the
He played for the San Francisco 49ers in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) in 1948 and 1949 as a linebacker and guard.
Coaching
In 1950, he became an assistant coach at Navy under head coach Eddie Erdelatz. He then returned to USC for five years as an assistant under Jess Hill, including the teams which won the 1953 Rose Bowl 7–0 over Wisconsin and played in the 1955 Rose Bowl against Ohio State. When Hill became USC's athletic director in 1957, Clark succeeded him as head coach on the recommendation of players including Jon Arnett. But USC, along with UCLA, Washington and California, was subjected at that time to Pacific Coast Conference sanctions; widespread displeasure over the issue among the various schools would lead to the reorganization of the conference in 1959. When Clark took over, the university had not recruited players for two years and had no scholarship quarterbacks or receivers.[1]
USC posted a 1–9 record in his first season—their worst mark since 1901—but improved to 4–5–1 in 1958; Clark recruited talented players such as
Business
Clark later became vice president of his family's business, the Prudential Overall Supply of Costa Mesa, California, and eventually became the company's president until his death. A resident of Fountain Valley, Clark died in Huntington Beach, California at age 65 after suffering a heart attack while jogging.[1] He was survived by his wife Dorothy and their eight children, as well as 24 grandchildren.
Head coaching record
Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | Coaches# | AP° | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
USC Trojans (Pacific Coast Conference) (1957–1958) | |||||||||
1957 | USC | 1–9 | 1–6 | T–7th | |||||
1958 | USC | 4–5–1 | 4–2–1 | 3rd | |||||
USC Trojans (Athletic Association of Western Universities) (1959) | |||||||||
1959 | USC | 8–2 | 3–1 | T–1st | 13 | 14 | |||
USC: | 13–16–1 | 8–9–1 | |||||||
Total: | 13–16–1 | ||||||||
National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth | |||||||||
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References
- ^ a b Mal Florence, Former USC Coach Left Lasting Impression on Those Who Knew Him, Los Angeles Times, August 8, 1989, accessed February 22, 2016.
Additional sources
- "Former USC Coach Clark, 65, Dies." Los Angeles Times, August 7, 1989.