Clem Daniels
Encyclopedia
Clemon C. Daniels Jr. is an American former Professional Football
star in the American Football League
(AFL) who also played in the NFL
.
, he was voted to All-Conference honors during his sophomore and junior years, and captained the NAIA National Football Championship
team in his senior year.
in 1960 by the AFL's Dallas Texans
, who, like other AFL
teams recruited players from small and predominantly black
colleges, which were mainly ignored by the conservative NFL. He was on the Texans' roster for 14 games in 1960, but saw little playing time behind Abner Haynes
. In 1961, he was traded to the AFL's Oakland Raiders
, and spent seven years there. He was an American Football League All-Star in 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966 and 1967.
In 1963, Daniels was The Sporting News American Football League Player of the Year
, with a 5.1 yards/carry average, gaining 1,099 yards. He was the All-Time leading rusher in the American Football League and was selected to the All-Time All-AFL Team
.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
star in the American Football League
American Football League
The American Football League was a major American Professional Football league that operated from 1960 until 1969, when the established National Football League merged with it. The upstart AFL operated in direct competition with the more established NFL throughout its existence...
(AFL) who also played in the NFL
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
.
College career
At Prairie View A&M UniversityPrairie View A&M University
Prairie View A&M University is a historically black university located in Prairie View, Texas and is a member of the Texas A&M University System. PVAMU offers baccalaureate degrees in 50 academic majors, 37 master’s degrees and four doctoral degree programs through nine colleges and schools...
, he was voted to All-Conference honors during his sophomore and junior years, and captained the NAIA National Football Championship
NAIA national football championship
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Football National Championship is decided by a post-season playoff system featuring the best NAIA college football teams in the United States. Under sponsorship of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, the championship game has...
team in his senior year.
Professional career
Daniels was signed as a free agentFree agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
in 1960 by the AFL's Dallas Texans
History of the Kansas City Chiefs
The following is a detailed history of the Kansas City Chiefs, a professional American football franchise that began play in 1960 as the Dallas Texans...
, who, like other AFL
American Football League
The American Football League was a major American Professional Football league that operated from 1960 until 1969, when the established National Football League merged with it. The upstart AFL operated in direct competition with the more established NFL throughout its existence...
teams recruited players from small and predominantly black
Black players in American professional football
Details of the history of black players in American professional football depend on the professional football league considered: the National Football League , which evolved from the first professional league, the American Professional Football Association, or the American Football League, , a...
colleges, which were mainly ignored by the conservative NFL. He was on the Texans' roster for 14 games in 1960, but saw little playing time behind Abner Haynes
Abner Haynes
Abner Haynes is a former college and professional football player in the United States.Haynes is a graduate of North Texas State University where he and his then teammate Leon King integrated college football in the state of Texas in 1956...
. In 1961, he was traded to the AFL's Oakland Raiders
History of the Oakland Raiders
-Early years :A few months after the first AFL draft in 1959, the owners of the yet-unnamed Minneapolis franchise accepted an offer to join the established National Football League as an expansion team in 1961, sending the AFL scrambling for a replacement. At the time, Oakland seemed an unlikely...
, and spent seven years there. He was an American Football League All-Star in 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966 and 1967.
In 1963, Daniels was The Sporting News American Football League Player of the Year
American Football League Most Valuable Players
During its ten-year existence , the American Football League's best player for each year was called the Most Valuable Player by some sports-news sources and the Player of the Year by others...
, with a 5.1 yards/carry average, gaining 1,099 yards. He was the All-Time leading rusher in the American Football League and was selected to the All-Time All-AFL Team
American Football League All-Time Team
The American Football League All- Time Team was selected on January 14, 1970. The first and second teams would be determined by a panel of members of the AFL's Hall of Fame Board of Selectors: Since the First team included two halfbacks, rather than a halfback and a fullback, Cookie Gilchrist, a...
.