Don Clark (football player)
Encyclopedia
Donald Rex Clark was an American
football
player and coach who was perhaps best known as the head coach
of the USC Trojans football
team from 1957-1959. He compiled a 13-16-1 record while coaching at USC, going 0-5-1 against rivals UCLA
and Notre Dame
. The highlight of his career was in 1959, when USC shared the inaugural AAWU title in a three-way tie. However, he remains the only coach to post a losing record at USC over more than one season.
, and his family moved to Los Angeles
when he was 15. He attended USC, where he played as a guard
on the football team under coach Jeff Cravath
in 1942 before entering the military during World War II
.
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 Battle of the Bulge
, and lost fillings in six teeth when an 88 shell
went off nearby. Following the war he competed in military track meets in the shot put
, and received an athletic award from General George S. Patton
.
He played for the San Francisco 49ers
in the All-America Football Conference
(AAFC) in 1948-49 as a linebacker
and guard.
under head coach Eddie Erdelatz
, then returned to USC for five years as an assistant under Jess Hill
; 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.
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 Marlin
and Mike McKeever
, and also brought in a number of excellent assistant coaches, including highly popular Marv Goux. The Trojans won their first eight games in 1959 with a team that featured Ron Mix
and Willie Wood, sharing the conference title with UCLA and Washington, but were barred from a bowl game due to NCAA
sanctions. The 1959 team also had an impressive coaching staff which included John McKay
and Al Davis
, but after season-ending losses to UCLA and Notre Dame, Clark resigned and was replaced by McKay.
, 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. He was survived by his wife Dorothy and their eight children, as well as 10 grandchildren.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
football
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...
player and coach who was perhaps best known as the head coach
Head coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...
of the USC Trojans football
University of Southern California Trojans football
The USC Trojans football program, established in 1888, represents the University of Southern California in college football. USC is a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I FBS and the Pacific-12 Conference . The Trojans have been a football powerhouse throughout NCAA...
team from 1957-1959. He compiled a 13-16-1 record while coaching at USC, going 0-5-1 against rivals UCLA
UCLA Bruins Football
The UCLA Bruins football program represents the University of California, Los Angeles in college football as members of the Pacific-12 Conference at the NCAA Division I FBS level. The Bruins have enjoyed several periods of success in their history, having been ranked in the top ten of the AP Poll...
and Notre Dame
Notre Dame Fighting Irish football
Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team is the football team of the University of Notre Dame. The team is currently coached by Brian Kelly.Notre Dame competes as an Independent at the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision level, and is a founding member of the Bowl Championship Series coalition. It is an...
. The highlight of his career was in 1959, when USC shared the inaugural AAWU title in a three-way tie. However, he remains the only coach to post a losing record at USC over more than one season.
Early career
Clark was born in Shurdan, IowaIowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
, and his family moved to Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
when he was 15. He attended USC, where he played as a guard
Guard (American football)
In American and Canadian football, a guard is a player that lines up between the center and the tackles on the offensive line of a football team....
on the football team under coach Jeff Cravath
Jeff Cravath
Newell "Jeff" Cravath was an American football coach best known as the head coach of the USC Trojans football team from 1942-1950. He compiled a 54-28-8 record while coaching at USC, and is known to have introduced the T formation to the USC program. Jeff was a nickname given to him when he was...
in 1942 before entering the military during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Playing alongside teammates including John Ferraro
John Ferraro
John Ferraro was the longest-serving Los Angeles City Council member in the history of the city—thirty-five years, from 1966 until his death in 2001—and the president of the council for fourteen of them...
and Paul Salata
Paul Salata
Paul Thomas Salata is a former professional American football wide receiver in the National Football League and the All-America Football Conference . He played for the AAFC/NFL's San Francisco 49ers and the AAFC's Baltimore Colts...
, he returned to USC for the 1946 and 1947 seasons, and was captain
Captain (sports)
In team sports, a captain is a title given to a member of the team. The title is frequently honorary, but in some cases the captain may have significant responsibility for strategy and teamwork while the game is in progress on the field...
of the latter team which lost the 1948 Rose Bowl
Rose Bowl Game
The Rose Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game, usually played on January 1 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. When New Year's Day falls on a Sunday, the game is played on Monday, January 2...
to Michigan
Michigan Wolverines football
The Michigan Wolverines football program represents the University of Michigan in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Michigan has the most all-time wins and the highest winning percentage in college football history...
.
He served in a rifle platoon during the Battle of the Bulge
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge was a major German offensive , launched toward the end of World War II through the densely forested Ardennes mountain region of Wallonia in Belgium, hence its French name , and France and...
, and lost fillings in six teeth when an 88 shell
88 mm gun
The 88 mm gun was a German anti-aircraft and anti-tank artillery gun from World War II. It was widely used by Germany throughout the war, and was one of the most recognizable German weapons of the war...
went off nearby. Following the war he competed in military track meets in the shot put
Shot put
The shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" a heavy metal ball—the shot—as far as possible. It is common to use the term "shot put" to refer to both the shot itself and to the putting action....
, and received an athletic award from General George S. Patton
George S. Patton
George Smith Patton, Jr. was a United States Army officer best known for his leadership while commanding corps and armies as a general during World War II. He was also well known for his eccentricity and controversial outspokenness.Patton was commissioned in the U.S. Army after his graduation from...
.
He played for the San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
in the All-America Football Conference
All-America Football Conference
The All-America Football Conference was a professional American football league that challenged the established National Football League from 1946 to 1949. One of the NFL's most formidable challengers, the AAFC attracted many of the nation's best players, and introduced many lasting innovations...
(AAFC) in 1948-49 as a linebacker
Linebacker
A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...
and guard.
Coaching
In 1950 he became an assistant coach at the Naval AcademyNavy Midshipmen football
The Navy Midshipmen football team represents the United States Naval Academy in NCAA Division I-A college football. They are a Division I Football Bowl Subdivision independent school and coached by Ken Niumatalolo since December 2007...
under head coach Eddie Erdelatz
Eddie Erdelatz
Eddie Erdelatz was an American collegiate and Professional Football player and coach who was the head football coach of the U.S. Naval Academy for nine years, as well as holding the distinction of being the first head coach of the American Football League's Oakland Raiders.Erdelatz's mother died...
, then returned to USC for five years as an assistant under Jess Hill
Jess Hill
Jesse Terrill Hill was an American athlete, coach and college administrator who was best known for his tenure as a coach and athletic director at the University of Southern California. His career spanned six decades...
; when Hill became USC's athletic director
Athletic director
An athletic director is an administrator at many American colleges and universities, as well as in larger high schools and middle schools, who oversees the work of coaches and related staff involved in intercollegiate or interscholastic athletic programs...
in 1957, Clark succeeded him as head coach on the recommendation of players including Jon Arnett
Jon Arnett
Jon Dwane Arnett was a first-team All-American out of USC and Manual Arts High School.-College career:Arnett was the multiple recipient of the W.J. Voit Memorial Trophy as the outstanding football player on the Pacific Coast. Arnett won the Voit Trophy in both 1954 and 1955...
. But USC, along with UCLA, Washington
Washington Huskies football
College football has a long history at the University of Washington. The Washington Huskies have won 15 Pacific-10 Conference championships, seven Rose Bowl titles, and three national championships. Washington's all-time record of 653-398-50 ranks 20th by all-time winning percentage and 21st by...
and California
California Golden Bears football
The California Golden Bears football team is the college football team of the University of California. The team plays its home games at California Memorial Stadium, however the team played at San Francisco's AT&T Park in 2011 while Memorial Stadium was being renovated, the team will return to...
, 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.
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 Marlin
Marlin McKeever
Marlin Thomas McKeever was an American football defensive end, fullback and punter at the University of Southern California and a tight end and linebacker during his 13-year National Football League career. He was born in Cheyenne, Wyoming.-College career:McKeever earned two-time All-America...
and Mike McKeever
Mike McKeever
Mike McKeever was a guard at the University of Southern California football team.-College career:McKeever earned All-America honors. He was also chosen to the academic All-America team. Mike and his brother Marlin McKeever were the first twins to earn All-America status...
, and also brought in a number of excellent assistant coaches, including highly popular Marv Goux. The Trojans won their first eight games in 1959 with a team that featured Ron Mix
Ron Mix
Ronald Jack Mix , in Los Angeles, California was an American football player.Mix attended USC, and upon graduation played right tackle and guard for the American Football League's Los Angeles/San Diego Chargers and the NFL Oakland Raiders .- College career :A graduate of the University of Southern...
and Willie Wood, sharing the conference title with UCLA and Washington, but were barred from a bowl game due to NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
sanctions. The 1959 team also had an impressive coaching staff which included John McKay
John McKay (football coach)
John Harvey McKay was an American football player and coach. He was served as the head coach at the University of Southern California from 1960 to 1975 and of the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 1976 to 1984. In 16 seasons with the USC Trojans, McKay compiled a record of 127–40–8 and...
and Al Davis
Al Davis
Allen "Al" Davis was an American football executive. He was the principal owner of the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League from 1970 to 2011...
, but after season-ending losses to UCLA and Notre Dame, Clark resigned and was replaced by McKay.
Business
Clark then became vice president of his family's business, the Prudential Overall Supply Co. http://www.pos-clean.com/ of Costa Mesa, CaliforniaCosta Mesa, California
Costa Mesa is a city in Orange County, California. The population was 109,960 at the 2010 census. Since its incorporation in 1953, the city has grown from a semi-rural farming community of 16,840 to a primarily suburban and "edge" city with an economy based on retail, commerce, and light...
, and eventually became the company's president until his death. A resident of Fountain Valley
Fountain Valley, California
Fountain Valley is a city in Orange County, California. The population was 55,313 at the 2010 census. A classic bedroom community, Fountain Valley is a middle-class residential area.- History :...
, Clark died in Huntington Beach, California
Huntington Beach, California
Huntington Beach is a seaside city in Orange County in Southern California. According to the 2010 census, the city population was 189,992; making it the largest beach city in Orange County in terms of population...
at age 65 after suffering a heart attack while jogging. He was survived by his wife Dorothy and their eight children, as well as 10 grandchildren.