Colin Clarke (born 4 April 1946) is a Scottish former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

player and manager. Clarke, who played as a central defender, spent the majority of his career in England – minus a one-season stint in the North American Soccer League – and made nearly 500 career league appearances.

Career

Born in Glasgow, Clarke began his career in his native Scotland with

Arthurlie Arthurlie is an area of the town of Barrhead, East Renfrewshire, Scotland. History of Arthurlie The lands of Arthurlie were held in medieval times by the Stewart family, a branch of the noble Stewarts of Darnley. Later the lands became the prop ...

, before moving to English giants

Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

in 1963. Clarke never made a league appearance for Arsenal, and later played for Oxford United, the Los Angeles Aztecs, and

Plymouth Argyle Plymouth Argyle Football Club is a professional football club based in the city of Plymouth, Devon, England. As of the 2021–22 season, the team are competing in League One, the third tier of English football. They have played at Home Park, ...

before becoming player-manager of

Kettering Town Kettering Town Football Club is a football club based in Burton Latimer, Northamptonshire, England. They are currently members of and play at Latimer Park in Burton Latimer. Kettering were the first club to wear sponsorship on their shirts ...

Coaching career

Clarke spent three years in charge of

. In July 1991, Clarke became assistant manager at Lincoln City. After six months in the role, the club activated a contractual clause to cancel his two-year contract following his failure to relocate his home to Lincoln as agreed. In July 1992 he became youth development officer at Reading but lasted just four months before departing with the Royals youth team bottom of the South East Counties League Division Two. He was then appointed youth team coach at

Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club competes in the , the top tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1874, they have played at their home ground, Villa Park ...

in February 1993. In 2003 he was appointed assistant head men's soccer coach at the

University of Tulsa The University of Tulsa (TU) is a private research university in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It has a historic affiliation with the Presbyterian Church and the campus architectural style is predominantly Collegiate Gothic. The school traces its origin to ...

. He was named both the 2009 NSCAA Midwest Region Assistant Coach of the Year, and the 2009 National Soccer Coaches Association of America Assistant Coach of the Year. After nine seasons at Tulsa, the conclusion of the 2011 season saw Clarke announce his retirement from coaching.

Honours

Oxford United

Third Division In sport, the Third Division, also called Division 3, Division Three, or Division III, is often the third-highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Association football *Belgian Thir ...

– Winner

1968 The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide. Events January–February * January 5 – "Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. * Januar ...

References

External links

*
NASL career stats
1946 births Living people Scottish footballers Arthurlie F.C. players Arsenal F.C. players Oxford United F.C. players Los Angeles Aztecs players Plymouth Argyle F.C. players Kettering Town F.C. players English Football League players North American Soccer League (1968–1984) players Scottish football managers Kettering Town F.C. managers Corby Town F.C. managers Stafford Rangers F.C. managers Lincoln City F.C. non-playing staff Association football central defenders Scottish expatriate sportspeople in the United States Expatriate soccer players in the United States Scottish expatriate footballers Reading F.C. non-playing staff Aston Villa F.C. non-playing staff {{Scotland-footy-defender-1940s-stub