Clifford Dukes (born June 26, 1981) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

arena football Indoor American football, or arena football, is a variation of gridiron football played at ice hockey-sized indoor arenas. While varying in details from league to league, the rules of indoor football are designed to allow for play in a smaller ...

defensive lineman In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line, while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line. A numbe ...

who is currently a free agent. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

Michigan State Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the United States. It i ...

from 2000 to 2004. He was signed as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

by the

St. Louis Rams The St. Louis Rams were a professional American football team of the National Football League (NFL). They played in St. Louis from 1995 to the 2015 season, before moving back to Los Angeles, where the team had played from 1946 to 1994. The arr ...

in 2005. Dukes has also been a member of the

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...

. After not having a chance to play in the NFL, Dukes signed with the

Tampa Bay Storm The Tampa Bay Storm were a professional arena football team based in Tampa, Florida, US. It played in the Arena Football League (AFL). Originally the team was located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and operated as the Pittsburgh Gladiators. The f ...

of the AFL in 2008. In 2010, he saw his first chance for real playing time with the Storm. As a result, he was named to the All-Arena team in 2010. In 2011, he led the league with 12.5 sacks and was named the 2011 Game Tape Exchange Defensive Lineman of the Year. He was traded to the

Kansas City Command The Kansas City Command (formerly the Kansas City Brigade) were a professional arena football team that played in the Arena Football League (AFL). The team was founded before the 2006 season. Former Kansas City Chiefs strong safety Kevin Porter ...

in 2012, only to be traded to the Arizona Rattlers two days later.

Early life

Born the son of Gloria Dukes, Cliff attended

Great Mills High School Great Mills High School is a comprehensive public high school in Great Mills, Maryland, United States. It serves students in grades 9–12 in the mixed rural and suburban area at the confluence of the Potomac River, Patuxent River, and Chesapeake ...

Great Mills, Maryland Great Mills is an unincorporated community in St. Mary's County, Maryland, United States. Great Mills High School serves the lower end of the county, including the town (census CDP) of Lexington Park. The area is site of some of the oldest agricul ...

. There he was a standout member of the football team according to his coaches and peers. A two ways player, he played both fullback and

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, p ...

. On defense his senior season, he recorded 105 tackles (56 solos, 49 assists), including eight for losses, and intercepted two passes, while also forced four fumbles and recovered three. On offense, he rushed for 619 yards on 119 carries and scored seven touchdowns.

College career

Upon high school graduation, Dukes accepted a football scholarship to

Michigan State University Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the fi ...

where he majored in family community services, and was a member of the football team.

Professional career

Tampa Bay Storm

After not having a chance to play in the NFL, Dukes signed with the

Kansas City Command

On February 7 2012, Dukes was traded to the

in 2012, for

quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...

Stephen Wasil Stephen "Steve" Wasil (born April 14, 1984) is a former Arena football quarterback who played for the Muskegon Thunder, Texas Copperheads, Albany Firebirds, Alabama Vipers, Kansas City Command and Tampa Bay Storm. He is currently the Offensive C ...

Arizona Rattlers

On February 9, 2012, Dukes was traded by the Command to the Arizona Rattlers for defensive back J. C. Neal. Dukes helped the Rattlers reach

ArenaBowl XXVI ArenaBowl XXVI was the 26th edition of the championship in the Arena Football League. The National Conference champion Arizona Rattlers, defeated the American Conference champion Philadelphia Soul, 48–39. The game was played on August 17, 2013 ...

in 2013, where they defeated the Soul for their second consecutive championship.

Baltimore Brigade

On July 26, 2018, Dukes was assigned to the

Baltimore Brigade The Baltimore Brigade was a professional arena football team based in Baltimore, Maryland, that played in the Arena Football League (AFL) from 2017 to 2019. The team's home arena was the Royal Farms Arena. The franchise was owned by Monumental Sp ...

, just days prior to

ArenaBowl XXXI ArenaBowl XXXI was the championship game of the 2018 Arena Football League season. The game was broadcast on CBS Sports Network, AFLNow and Twitter. It featured the fourth-seeded Washington Valor and the second-seeded Baltimore Brigade at the Ro ...

References

External links

Toronto Argonauts bio

St. Louis Rams bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dukes, Clifford 1981 births Living people American players of Canadian football American football defensive linemen Canadian football defensive linemen Michigan State Spartans football players St. Louis Rams players New Orleans Saints players Tampa Bay Storm players Toronto Argonauts players Kansas City Command players Arizona Rattlers players Baltimore Brigade players Players of American football from Maryland