Hagood Clarke
Encyclopedia
Hagood Clarke, III is a former American college and professional football
player who was a defensive back
in the American Football League
(AFL) for five seasons in the 1960s. Clarke played college football
for the University of Florida
, and thereafter, he played professionally for the Buffalo Bills
of the AFL.
in 1942. For his high school
education, he attended Baylor School
in Chattanooga, Tennessee
, where he played high school football
for the Baylor School Tigers.
, where he was a walk-on player for coach Ray Graves
' Florida Gators football
team from 1961 to 1963. Clarke played both ways for the Gators, playing halfback
on offense and safety on defense. Memorably, he caught a nineteen-yard touchdown pass to clinch the Gators' 17–7 upset win over the ninth-ranked Penn State Nittany Lions
in the 1962 Gator Bowl
, intercepted a third-quarter Joe Namath
pass to help preserve a 10–6 upset of the third-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide
in Tuscaloosa
in 1963, and ran for a seventy-yard touchdown to provide the margin of victory in the Gators' 27–21 win over the Miami Hurricanes
later that same season. He was also the Gators' principal punter in 1962, with forty-six punts for 1,884 yards (and average of 41.0 yards per kick). Clarke led the Gators in punt return yardage in 1961 and 1962, and was the recipient of the Gators' Fergie Ferguson Award, recognizing the "senior football player who displays outstanding leadership, courage and character," in 1963.
Clarke graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor's degree
in business administration in 1965, and was later inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a "Gator Great."
of the National Football League
(NFL) in the seventh round (eighty-fifth pick overall) of the 1964 NFL Draft
, but signed with coach Lou Saban
's Buffalo Bills of the alternative AFL, and played his entire five-year career as a safety and punt returner for the Bills from 1964 to 1968. In his first three seasons with the Bills, the team won the AFL Championship Game in 1964 and 1965, and lost it in 1966. Statistically, Clarke's best season was 1965, when he had seven interceptions and played in the AFL All-Star Game. He also was an All-AFL selection in 1966, when he had five interceptions, including an interception of a George Blanda
pass followed by a 66-yard return for a touchdown in the final twenty-seven seconds to beat the Houston Oilers, 27–20. In 1968, his final season with the Bills, Clarke had an 82-yard punt return for a touchdown against the New York Jets
.
Clark appeared in sixty-seven games in his five-season AFL career, and compiled twelve interceptions for 178 interception return yards and a touchdown. He also tallied sixty-five career punt returns for 583 yards and two touchdowns.
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 who was a defensive back
Defensive back
In American football and Canadian football, defensive backs are the players on the defensive team who take positions somewhat back from the line of scrimmage; they are distinguished from the defensive line players and linebackers, who take positions directly behind or close to the line of...
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) for five seasons in the 1960s. Clarke played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
for the University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
, and thereafter, he played professionally for the Buffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
of the AFL.
Early life
Clarke was born in Atlanta, GeorgiaAtlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
in 1942. For his high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
education, he attended Baylor School
Baylor School
Baylor School is a private, coeducational prep school on the outskirts of Chattanooga, Tennessee. The school was founded in 1893 and since 1915 has been located on the same hillside site by the Tennessee River. The school went through several incarnations: moving from an all-male military academy...
in Chattanooga, Tennessee
Chattanooga, Tennessee
Chattanooga is the fourth-largest city in the US state of Tennessee , with a population of 169,887. It is the seat of Hamilton County...
, where he played high school football
High school football
High school football, in North America, refers to the game of football as it is played in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both of these nations....
for the Baylor School Tigers.
College career
Clarke attended the University of Florida in Gainesville, FloridaGainesville, Florida
Gainesville is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Alachua County, Florida, United States as well as the principal city of the Gainesville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area . The preliminary 2010 Census population count for Gainesville is 124,354. Gainesville is home to the sixth...
, where he was a walk-on player for coach Ray Graves
Ray Graves
Samuel Ray Graves is a former American college and professional football player and former college football coach. He is a native of Tennessee and an alumnus of the University of Tennessee, where he played college football...
' Florida Gators football
Florida Gators football
The Florida Gators football team represents the University of Florida in the sport of American football. The Florida Gators compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletics Association and the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference...
team from 1961 to 1963. Clarke played both ways for the Gators, playing halfback
Halfback (American football)
A halfback, sometimes referred to as a tailback, is an offensive position in American football, which lines up in the backfield and generally is responsible for carrying the ball on run plays. Historically, from the 1870s through the 1950s, the halfback position was both an offensive and defensive...
on offense and safety on defense. Memorably, he caught a nineteen-yard touchdown pass to clinch the Gators' 17–7 upset win over the ninth-ranked Penn State Nittany Lions
Penn State Nittany Lions football
The Penn State Nittany Lions football team represents the Pennsylvania State University in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Big Ten Conference. It is one of the most tradition-rich and storied college football programs in the...
in the 1962 Gator Bowl
Gator Bowl
The Gator Bowl is an annual college football bowl game played at EverBank Field in Jacksonville, Florida. Held continuously since 1946, it is the sixth oldest college bowl, as well as the first one ever televised nationally...
, intercepted a third-quarter Joe Namath
Joe Namath
Joseph William "Joe" Namath , nicknamed "Broadway Joe" or "Joe Willie", is a former American football quarterback. He played college football for the University of Alabama under coach Paul "Bear" Bryant and his assistant, Howard Schnellenberger, from 1962–1964, and professional football in the...
pass to help preserve a 10–6 upset of the third-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide
Alabama Crimson Tide football
|TeamName = Alabama football |Image = Alabama Crimson Tide Logo.svg |ImageSize = 110 |Helmet = Alabama Football.png |ImageSize2 = 150 |CurrentSeason = 2011 Alabama Crimson Tide football team...
in Tuscaloosa
Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Tuscaloosa is a city in and the seat of Tuscaloosa County in west central Alabama . Located on the Black Warrior River, it is the fifth-largest city in Alabama, with a population of 90,468 in 2010...
in 1963, and ran for a seventy-yard touchdown to provide the margin of victory in the Gators' 27–21 win over the Miami Hurricanes
Miami Hurricanes football
The Miami Hurricanes football program competes in the Atlantic Coast Conference of the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision for the University of Miami. The program began in 1926 and has won five AP national championships...
later that same season. He was also the Gators' principal punter in 1962, with forty-six punts for 1,884 yards (and average of 41.0 yards per kick). Clarke led the Gators in punt return yardage in 1961 and 1962, and was the recipient of the Gators' Fergie Ferguson Award, recognizing the "senior football player who displays outstanding leadership, courage and character," in 1963.
Clarke graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in business administration in 1965, and was later inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a "Gator Great."
Professional career
Clarke was selected by the San Francisco 49ersSan 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...
of the National Football League
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...
(NFL) in the seventh round (eighty-fifth pick overall) of the 1964 NFL Draft
1964 NFL Draft
The 1964 National Football League Draft took place on December 2, 1963.-Player selections:-Round one:* HOF Member of the Professional Football Hall of Fame-Round two:-Round three:-Round four:...
, but signed with coach Lou Saban
Lou Saban
Louis Henry Saban was an American football player and coach. Saban played for Indiana University in college and as a pro for the Cleveland Browns of the All-America Football Conference...
's Buffalo Bills of the alternative AFL, and played his entire five-year career as a safety and punt returner for the Bills from 1964 to 1968. In his first three seasons with the Bills, the team won the AFL Championship Game in 1964 and 1965, and lost it in 1966. Statistically, Clarke's best season was 1965, when he had seven interceptions and played in the AFL All-Star Game. He also was an All-AFL selection in 1966, when he had five interceptions, including an interception of a George Blanda
George Blanda
George Frederick Blanda was a collegiate and professional football quarterback and placekicker...
pass followed by a 66-yard return for a touchdown in the final twenty-seven seconds to beat the Houston Oilers, 27–20. In 1968, his final season with the Bills, Clarke had an 82-yard punt return for a touchdown against the New York Jets
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
.
Clark appeared in sixty-seven games in his five-season AFL career, and compiled twelve interceptions for 178 interception return yards and a touchdown. He also tallied sixty-five career punt returns for 583 yards and two touchdowns.
See also
- Florida GatorsFlorida GatorsThe Florida Gators are the intercollegiate sports teams that represent the University of Florida located in Gainesville, Florida. The "Lady Gators" is an alternative nickname sometimes used by the Gators women's teams...
- Florida Gators football, 1960–1969
- List of American Football League players
- List of Buffalo Bills players
- List of Florida Gators football players
- List of University of Florida alumni