Orman Wendell Clemons (born September 16, 1963) is a former American football running back in the National Football League (NFL) for the Philadelphia Eagles. 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 ...

at Wake Forest University.

Early years

Clemons attended

Cinnaminson High School Cinnaminson High School is a four-year public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from Cinnaminson Township in Burlington County, New Jersey, United States, operating as the lone secondary school of the Cinnaminson ...

, where he practiced football, wrestling and

track Track or Tracks may refer to: Routes or imprints * Ancient trackway, any track or trail whose origin is lost in antiquity * Animal track, imprints left on surfaces that an animal walks across * Desire path, a line worn by people taking the shorte ...

. As a senior, he was an All-South Jersey football selection at running back. He finished second in the state meet in both the

100 100 or one hundred (Roman numeral: C) is the natural number following 99 and preceding 101. In medieval contexts, it may be described as the short hundred or five score in order to differentiate the English and Germanic use of "hundred" to de ...

and

200 metres The 200 metres, or 200-meter dash, is a sprint running event. On an outdoor 400 metre racetrack, the race begins on the curve and ends on the home straight, so a combination of techniques is needed to successfully run the race. A slightl ...

. He did not lose a regular season wrestling match. He enrolled at Fork Union Military Academy for a year, where he averaged 100 yards rushing per game.

College career

Clemons accepted a football scholarship from Wake Forest University. As a freshman, he was a backup at running back behind Michael Ramseur. He collected 73 carries for 269 yards, 3 touchdowns, 7 receptions for 46 yards and 23 kickoff returns for 460 yards (20-yard avg.). As a sophomore, he tallied 132 carries for 562 yards, a 4-3-yard average, 6 touchdowns and 6 receptions for 64 yards. As a junior, he became a starter at

fullback Fullback or Full back may refer to: Sports * A position in various kinds of football, including: ** Full-back (association football), in association football (soccer), a defender playing in a wide position ** Fullback (gridiron football), in Americ ...

, forming with Ramseur one of the best backfield duos in the

ACC ACC most often refers to: * Atlantic Coast Conference, an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic conference located in the US *American College of Cardiology, A US-based nonprofit medical association that bestows credentials upon cardiovascular spec ...

. He posted 137 carries for 732 yards, a 5.3-yard average (fourth in school history), 2 rushing touchdowns, 15 receptions for 61 yards and one receiving touchdown. He had 182 rushing yards against the University of Richmond. As a senior, he led the team with 164 carries for 916 yards, a 5.6-yard average (third in school history), 2 rushing touchdowns, 21 receptions for 113 yards and 5 receiving touchdowns. He had 111 rushing yards against the University of Tennessee and 126 rushing yards against the University of Virginia. He finished his college career with 506 carries for 2,479 yards (third in school history), a 4.9-yard average, 13 rushing touchdowns, six career 100-yard games (tied for seventh in school history), 49 receptions for 284 yards, 6 receiving touchdowns and 3,123 all-purpose yards (fifth in school history).

Professional career

Dallas Cowboys

Clemons was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the eighth round (212th overall) of the

1986 NFL Draft The 1986 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 29–30, 1986, at the Marriott Marq ...

. He was waived on August 18.

Philadelphia Eagles

After the

National Football League Players Association The National Football League Players Association, or NFLPA, is a labor union representing National Football League (NFL) players. The NFLPA, which has headquarters in Washington, D.C., is led by president J. C. Tretter and executive director De ...

went on strike in the third week of the 1987 season, the games scheduled for that week were canceled (reducing the 16-game season to 15) and the

NFL 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 major ...

decided that subsequent games would be played with replacement players. Clemons was signed in October to be a part of the Philadelphia Eagles replacement squad as a backup at running back behind

Reggie Brown Reggie Brown may refer to: *Reggie Brown (American football coach) (1876–1961), American college football coach at Boston University from 1926–1929 *Reginald J. Brown (1940–2005), U.S. Assistant Secretary of the Army (Manpower and Reserve Affa ...

. In three games, he posted no rushing yards and one reception for a 13-yard touchdown against the Dallas Cowboys. He was cut on October 20, at the end of the strike. On January 12,

1988 File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Australian ...

, he was re-signed to participate in training camp. He was released on August 22.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clemons, Topper 1963 births Living people Cinnaminson High School alumni Fork Union Military Academy alumni People from Cinnaminson Township, New Jersey American football running backs Wake Forest Demon Deacons football players Philadelphia Eagles players National Football League replacement players People from Riverside Township, New Jersey Players of American football from Burlington County, New Jersey