Harry Charles Clarke (December 1, 1916 – December 31, 2005) was a

professional A professional is a member of a profession or any person who works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the particular knowledge and skil ...

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

halfback for four seasons for the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...

in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

. He later played three seasons in the

All-America Football Conference The All-America Football Conference (AAFC) was a professional American football league that challenged the established National Football League (NFL) from 1946 to 1949. One of the NFL's most formidable challengers, the AAFC attracted many of the ...

. 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 ...

for West Virginia Mountaineers.

College career

Harry Clarke set many records while playing for West Virginia University. He still holds some to this day. While at WVU Clarke rushed for 921 yards, which was a team record at the time, in the 1938 season. He was inducted into the university's hall of fame in 1977.

Professional career

Clark was drafted in the 13th round of the 1940 NFL Draft. During his rookie season with the Chicago Bears, Clarke scored two touchdowns in the

1940 NFL Championship Game The 1940 NFL Championship Game, sometimes referred to simply as 73–0, was the eighth title game of the National Football League (NFL). It was played at Griffith Stadium in Washington, D.C. on December 8, with a sellout capacity attendance of ...

to help defeat 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 ...

73–0. After his fourth season with the Bears, Clarke was drafted into the Navy in 1943. After his time in the service, Clarke played in the All-American Football Conference from 1946-1948 for Los Angeles Dons, then returned to Chicago to play for the Rockets. According to some statistics, Clarke played for both the Dons and the Rockets in the 1948 season: 5 games for each team.

References

External links

* 1916 births 2005 deaths Sportspeople from Cumberland, Maryland American football running backs West Virginia Mountaineers football players Chicago Bears players Los Angeles Dons players Chicago Rockets players United States Navy personnel of World War II {{runningback-1910s-stub