Daryll Lawrence Clark (born February 5, 1986) is a former American
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 ...
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 Am ...
. He was signed by the
Calgary Stampeders
The Calgary Stampeders are a professional Canadian football team based in Calgary, Alberta. The Stampeders compete in the West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The club plays its home games at McMahon Stadium and are the third-o ...
of the
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a c ...
as a free agent in 2010. He played collegiately for the
Penn State Nittany Lions
The Penn State Nittany Lions are the athletic teams of Pennsylvania State University, except for the women's basketball team, known as the Lady Lions. The school colors are navy blue and white. The school mascot is the Nittany Lion. The inte ...
. From 2005 until 2009, Clark was the Nittany Lions' all-time passing touchdowns leader, as well as numerous other passing records. Clark was recruited to Penn State out of
Ursuline High School in Youngstown by way of
The Kiski School
, motto_translation = Guide Us Lord
, address = 1888 Brett Lane
, town = Saltsburg
, state = Pennsylvania
, zipcode = 15681-8951
, country = Uni ...
in
Saltsburg,
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
. Clark has also been a member of the
Omaha Nighthawks
The Omaha Nighthawks were a professional American football team based in Omaha, Nebraska, which played in the United Football League, joining the league as an expansion team in 2010. During their first season, the Nighthawks played their home gam ...
,
Chicago Rush
The Chicago Rush were a professional arena football team based in Rosemont, Illinois. The team played at the Allstate Arena from 2001 to 2013. They were a member of the Central Division of the National Conference of the Arena Football League ( ...
and
Myrtle Beach Freedom
The Myrtle Beach Freedom were a professional indoor football team based in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and played their home games at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center. They were a member of American Indoor Football for one season until the lea ...
.
College career
As a
redshirt freshman
Redshirt, in United States college athletics, is a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen their period of eligibility. Typically, a student's athletic eligibility in a given sport is four seasons, aligning with the ...
, Clark appeared in five games during the
2006 season for the
Penn State Nittany Lions
The Penn State Nittany Lions are the athletic teams of Pennsylvania State University, except for the women's basketball team, known as the Lady Lions. The school colors are navy blue and white. The school mascot is the Nittany Lion. The inte ...
. He completed 14 passes in 27 attempts for 116 yards and ran for 48 yards with 3
touchdown
A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone. In Amer ...
s as a backup to
Anthony Morelli
Anthony Michael Morelli (born June 21, 1985) is a former American football quarterback. He was signed by the Arizona Cardinals as an undrafted free agent in 2008. He played college football at Penn State.
Morelli was a member of the San Jose Sab ...
. He made his college football debut in a loss to
Notre Dame, scoring on a five-yard run near the end of the game.
Clark saw more playing time as a sophomore in
2007
File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple Inc., Apple's first iPhone (1st generation), iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakis ...
, again as a back-up to
Anthony Morelli
Anthony Michael Morelli (born June 21, 1985) is a former American football quarterback. He was signed by the Arizona Cardinals as an undrafted free agent in 2008. He played college football at Penn State.
Morelli was a member of the San Jose Sab ...
. He completed 6 passes out of 9 attempts for 131 yards and ran for 78 yards and two touchdowns. Clark saw significant playing time in the
2007 Alamo Bowl
The 2007 Valero Alamo Bowl was a college football bowl game played on December 29, 2007 in the 65,000-seat Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, and nationally televised by ESPN. The game was one of the 2007–08 NCAA football bowl games that concluded ...
versus
the Texas A&M Aggies. Penn State trailed the Aggies 14-0 in the second quarter when Paterno sent him in the game in place of Morelli to provide an offensive spark.
Clark responded by running for 50 yards on six carries and one touchdown. The game marked with debut of Penn State's new
spread offense
:''"Spread offense" may also refer to the four corners offense in basketball.''
The spread offense is an offensive scheme in gridiron football that typically places the quarterback in the shotgun formation, and "spreads" the defense horizonta ...
which replaced the traditional pocket passing- and tailback- oriented offense used by Penn State that season.
Clark was named the starting quarterback for the
2008 season after a highly publicized pre-season quarterback competition with redshirt sophomore
Pat Devlin.
Paterno cited Clark's game experience as a key factor in choosing him over Devlin.
Clark's mobility allowed Penn State to continue development of its "
Spread HD" offense.
Clark's balanced, mistake-free performance throughout the first half of the season earned him the #6 spot on the ''
Sporting News
The ''Sporting News'' is a website and former magazine publication owned by Sporting News Holdings, which is a U.S.-based sports media company formed in December 2020 by a private investor consortium. It was originally established in 1886 as a pr ...
list of the season's "Most Indispensable Players."
At the conclusion of the season, Clark was granted extended eligibility from the
NCAA
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges ...
after meeting certain academic benchmarks required of "partial qualifiers."
Clark was elected
team captain
In team sport, 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. In eithe ...
by his teammates prior to the
2009 season.
At the end of the season Clark established many Penn State records for quarterbacks. He surpassed
Todd Blackledge
Todd Alan Blackledge (born February 25, 1961) is a former American football quarterback in both the NCAA and National Football League. In college, he led the Penn State Nittany Lions to a national championship. A member of the famed Class of 19 ...
in career touchdown passes with a total of 43. Clark also became Penn State's single season leader in yards passed with 3,003 yards and the single season leader in touchdown passes with 24. His record as a starting quarterback is 22 wins and 4 losses.
The losses were twice to
the Iowa Hawkeyes, once to
Ohio State
The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best public ...
and once to
USC
USC most often refers to:
* University of South Carolina, a public research university
** University of South Carolina System, the main university and its satellite campuses
** South Carolina Gamecocks, the school athletic program
* University of ...
in the
2009 Rose Bowl
The 2009 Rose Bowl, the 95th edition of the annual game, was a college football bowl game played on Thursday, January 1, 2009 at the same-named stadium in Pasadena, California. Because of sponsorship by Citi, the first game in the 2009 edition ...
.
Awards
Clark was twice named
Big Ten
The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...
Offensive Player of the Week during the
2008 season: October 11, for his three-touchdown game versus
Wisconsin
Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...
.
and November 22, following his career-high 341-yard, four touchdown performance in the regular season finale against
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 ...
.
He is a semifinalist for the 2008
Maxwell and
Davey O'Brien
Robert David O'Brien (June 22, 1917 – November 18, 1977) was an American football quarterback. He played college football at Texas Christian University (TCU) and professionally in the National Football League (NFL) with the Philadelphia Eagle ...
awards. The awards are given annually to the top
collegiate football player and top quarterback, respectively. At season's end, he was named a consensus first team All-Big Ten selection.
Prior to the
2009 season, Clark was selected as one of 20
Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award
The Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award is given annually in the United States to the nation's top upperclassmen quarterback in college football. Candidates are judged on accomplishments on the field as well as on their character, scholastic achievemen ...
candidates
and named to the Davey O'Brien Award watchlist. He earned Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week accolades twice that season: September 4 and October 24, following wins over
Akron
Akron () is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Summit County. It is located on the western edge of the Glaciated Allegheny Plateau, about south of downtown Cleveland. As of the 2020 Census, the city prop ...
and
Michigan
Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...
, respectively.
He was named first-team All-Big Ten after the 2009 season.
Clark was co-winner, with
Michigan
Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...
’s
Brandon Graham
Brandon Lee Graham (born April 3, 1988) is an American football defensive end for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Eagles in the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft with the thirteenth selection ...
, of the 2009
Chicago Tribune Silver Football
The Chicago Tribune Silver Football is awarded by the ''Chicago Tribune'' to the college football player determined to be the best player from the Big Ten Conference. The award has been presented annually since 1924, when Red Grange of Illinois w ...
, awarded by the ''
Chicago Tribune
The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...
'' to the college football player determined to be the
Most Valuable Player
In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...
of the Big Ten Conference.
It was the first time two players have shared the award since its establishment in 1924.
He also was named
ECAC Player of the Year.
Professional career
Daryll Clark went
undrafted
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 ...
in the
2010 NFL Draft
The 2010 NFL Draft was the 75th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The 2010 draft took place over three days, at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York, with the firs ...
. Clark was reportedly courted by the
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansion ...
,
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...
,
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 ...
and
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...
, before ultimately signing with the
Washington Redskins
The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...
to a future contract. Clark attended the Redskins' training camp, but was not offered a contract.
Shortly after Washington's training camp, Clark signed with the
Calgary Stampeders
The Calgary Stampeders are a professional Canadian football team based in Calgary, Alberta. The Stampeders compete in the West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The club plays its home games at McMahon Stadium and are the third-o ...
on July 23, 2010. The signing came already three games into the CFL season, and some speculated Clark would have a tough time earning a starting job over Calgary's other quarterbacks who were more familiar with the offense. On May 10, 2011, the
Calgary Stampeders
The Calgary Stampeders are a professional Canadian football team based in Calgary, Alberta. The Stampeders compete in the West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The club plays its home games at McMahon Stadium and are the third-o ...
announced that they had released Clark after just one season, in which he did not attempt any passes.
Clark signed with the
Omaha Nighthawks
The Omaha Nighthawks were a professional American football team based in Omaha, Nebraska, which played in the United Football League, joining the league as an expansion team in 2010. During their first season, the Nighthawks played their home gam ...
of the
UFL for the 2011 season. He was released on September 2. On November 15, 2011, Clark signed with the
Chicago Rush
The Chicago Rush were a professional arena football team based in Rosemont, Illinois. The team played at the Allstate Arena from 2001 to 2013. They were a member of the Central Division of the National Conference of the Arena Football League ( ...
of the
AFL
AFL may refer to:
Sports
* American Football League (AFL), a name shared by several separate and unrelated professional American football leagues:
** American Football League (1926) (a.k.a. "AFL I"), first rival of the National Football Leagu ...
.
In 2016, Clark began playing with the
Myrtle Beach Freedom
The Myrtle Beach Freedom were a professional indoor football team based in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and played their home games at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center. They were a member of American Indoor Football for one season until the lea ...
of
American Indoor Football
American Indoor Football (AIF) was a professional indoor football league, one of the several regional professional indoor football leagues in North America.
The AIFL began as a regional league with six franchises on the East Coast of the United ...
.
Clark signed with the
Cape Fear Heroes in May 2017. He re-signed with the team in December 2017.
Personal life
Clark earned a
Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...
in telecommunications from Penn State in 2008.
References
External links
ESPN profileJust Sports StatsAccess Athletes, Athlete Chat: Daryll Clark Adam Rittenberg
Adam Rittenberg (born August 15, 1981) is a blogger and sports journalist for ESPN's college football section dedicated to the Big Ten Conference in college football. Before 2008 when he joined ESPN, he was a sports writer at Daily Herald (Arl ...
, ESPN.com, October 1, 2008
Video: Daryll Clark Feature Big Ten Network, December 2008.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Clark, Daryll
1986 births
Living people
American football quarterbacks
Canadian football quarterbacks
Cape Fear Heroes players
Calgary Stampeders players
Chicago Rush players
Myrtle Beach Freedom players
Omaha Nighthawks players
Penn State Nittany Lions football players
The Kiski School alumni
Players of American football from Youngstown, Ohio
African-American players of American football
African-American players of Canadian football
21st-century African-American sportspeople
20th-century African-American people