Darryl Earl Clack (born October 29, 1963) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

player who was a

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offense ...

for the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

Arizona State Sun Devils The Arizona State Sun Devils are the sport, athletic teams that represent Arizona State University. ASU has nine men's and eleven women's Varsity team, varsity teams competing at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Divisi ...

and was selected by the Cowboys in the second round 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 M ...

. He also was a member of the

Toronto Argonauts The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team based in Toronto, Ontario. The Argonauts compete in the East Division (CFL), East Division of t ...

in the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division (CFL), East Division and f ...

(CFL).

Early life

Clack was a native of

San Antonio, Texas San Antonio ( ; Spanish for "Anthony of Padua, Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the List of Texas metropolitan areas, third-largest metropolitan area in Texa ...

, before moving to Colorado during high school. Known as "Mr. Click" back then, he attended Widefield High School. He was at his best in

track and field Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes Competition#Sports, athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a ru ...

, winning the state championship in the

100 metres The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contested at ...

in his junior and senior years. He missed winning in a closed finish as a sophomore, but won the

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 slight ...

and the

400 metres The 400 metres, or 400-meter dash, is a sprint event in track and field competitions. It has been featured in the athletics programme at the Summer Olympics since 1896 for men and since 1964 for women. On a standard outdoor running track, it is ...

in each of his last three years in high school. He set the state-record time of 10.65 seconds in the

, 21.22 in the 200 and 47.95 in the 400. He also contributed to Widefield winning team state titles in 1979, 1980 and 1981. Clack earned All-state honors at

as a senior. He also practiced

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

. In 1982, he was named Colorado Prep Athlete of the Year. In 2006, he was inducted into the Colorado Springs Hall of Fame. In 1993, he was inducted into the Colorado High School Hall of Fame.

College career

Clack accepted a football scholarship from

Arizona State University Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public university, public research university in Tempe, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 as Territorial Normal School by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, the university is o ...

. In 1982, he became the first freshman to lead the Sun Devils in rushing in 30 years. His season culminated with the 32-21 win over the

University of Oklahoma The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a Public university, public research university in Norman, Oklahoma, United States. Founded in 1890, it had existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two territories became the ...

in the 1983 Fiesta Bowl, with him scoring a third-quarter

touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Scoring a touchdown grants the team that scored it 6 points. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchd ...

. Even as a freshman, his popularity reached a point that metal noisemakers known as "Darryl Clackers", were being sold by stadium vendors. He posted 606 rushing yards, 116 receiving yards and 9

s. As a sophomore, he registered 932 rushing yards (led the Pac-10), 299 receiving yards and 9

s. His 221 rushing yards against

Wichita State University Wichita State University (WSU) is a public research university in Wichita, Kansas, United States. It is governed by the Kansas Board of Regents. The university offers more than 60 undergraduate degree programs in more than 200 areas of study in ...

ranked sixth All-time in the school rushing list. He became the first player in school history to gain over 100 yards rushing and receiving in the same game (116 rushing and 134 receiving against

USC USC may refer to: Education United States * Universidad del Sagrado Corazón, Santurce, Puerto Rico * University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina ** University of South Carolina System, a state university system of South Carolina * ...

). As a junior, he posted 1,052 rushing yards, 32 receptions for 385 yards, 6

s and had five 100-yard rushing days. His senior season was cut short when he suffered a fractured right fibula in the second game of the season against

Pacific University Pacific University is a private university in Forest Grove, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1849 as the Tualatin Academy, the original Forest Grove campus is west of Portland. Affiliated with the United Church of Christ, the school mainta ...

, sidelining him for 7 games. He returned to play in the

1985 Holiday Bowl The 1985 Holiday Bowl was a college football bowl game played December 22, 1985, in San Diego, California. It was part of the 1985 NCAA Division I-A football season. It featured the unranked Arizona State Sun Devils, and the 14th ranked Arkansas ...

, gaining 36 yards on nine carries. Clack finished his college career fifth on the school's All-time rushing list, recording 2,711 rushing yards (fifth in school history), 5.1-yard average, 21 rushing

s, 70 receptions, 840 receiving yards, 3 receiving

s and eleven 100-yard games (Arizona State was 10-1 in those contests). He also was a member of the

team for three years.

Professional career

Dallas Cowboys

Clack was selected by the

in the second round (33rd overall) of the

, to be the backup and possible successor to

Tony Dorsett Anthony Drew Dorsett Sr. (born April 7, 1954) is an American former professional American football, football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys and Denver Broncos. Raised in western Pennsylvani ...

. Unfortunately for Clack, that was the same year that

Herschel Walker Herschel Junior Walker (born March 3, 1962) is an American former professional football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons. He was also the Republican nominee in the 2022 United States Senate election ...

arrived to the team from the

United States Football League The United States Football League (USFL) was a professional American football league that played for three seasons, 1983 through 1985. The league played a spring/summer schedule in each of its active seasons. The 1986 season was scheduled to be ...

(USFL). The talent level at

, relegated him to returning kickoffs. As a rookie, he averaged 22.2 yards per kickoff return and would have qualified for fifth place in the

NFC NFC usually refers to: * Near-field communication, a set of communication protocols for electronic devices * National Football Conference, part of US National Football League NFC may also refer to: Psychology * Need for cognition, in psychol ...

with one more return. Against 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 of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East ...

, he had a career high 51-yard return. In

1987 Events January * January 1 – Bolivia reintroduces the Boliviano currency. * January 2 – Chadian–Libyan conflict – Battle of Fada: The Military of Chad, Chadian army destroys a Libyan armoured brigade. * January 3 – Afghan leader ...

, his 21.9-yard per kickoff return placed him seventh in the

. In

1988 1988 was a crucial year in the early history of the Internet—it was the year of the first well-known computer virus, the Morris worm, 1988 Internet worm. The first permanent intercontinental Internet link was made between the United State ...

, he was the

's third leading kickoff returner with a 21.6-yard average. In

1989 1989 was a turning point in political history with the "Revolutions of 1989" which ended communism in Eastern Bloc of Europe, starting in Poland and Hungary, with experiments in power-sharing coming to a head with the opening of the Berlin W ...

, he had just 3 kickoff returns, finishing 2 returns short of

Mel Renfro Melvin Lacy Renfro (born December 30, 1941) is an American former professional football player who spent his entire 14-year career as a cornerback for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He is a member of the Pro Football H ...

's franchise record of 85. On November 21, he was waived as part of the rebuilding process, to make room for rookie

Curtis Stewart who was promoted from the developmental squad.

Cleveland Browns

On March 8,

1990 Important events of 1990 include the Reunification of Germany and the unification of Yemen, the formal beginning of the Human Genome Project (finished in 2003), the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope, the separation of Namibia from South ...

, he signed as a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager 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 a contract at present ...

with the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...

. He was released on September 3.

Toronto Argonauts (CFL)

On September 5,

1991 It was the final year of the Cold War, which had begun in 1947. During the year, the Soviet Union Dissolution of the Soviet Union, collapsed, leaving Post-soviet states, fifteen sovereign republics and the Commonwealth of Independent State ...

, he was signed to the practice roster of the

of the

. He played in the

Grey Cup The Grey Cup () is both the championship game of the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the trophy awarded to the victorious team playing in the namesake championship of professional Canadian football. The game is contested between the winners ...

championship game. He appeared in 4 games as a backup

, registering 22 carries for 24 yards.

Orlando Thunder (WLAF)

1992 1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General. * January 6 ** The Republ ...

, he signed with the

Orlando Thunder The Orlando Thunder was a member of the World League of American Football from 1991 to 1992. The team played their games in the 70,000 seat Florida Citrus Bowl, and was coached by Don Matthews in 1991 and Galen Hall in 1992. The team's most visi ...

of the

World League of American Football NFL Europe League (simply called NFL Europe and known in its final season as NFL Europa) was a professional American football league that functioned as the List of developmental and minor sports leagues, developmental minor league of the Nati ...

. He became the team's starter at

, tallying 517 rushing yards and 6

s, while receiving All-World League honors at the end of the season.

Personal life

After his playing days, Clack went to the

University of Texas at El Paso The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) is a public university, public research university in El Paso, Texas, United States. Founded in 1913 as the State School of Mines and Metallurgy, it is the third oldest academic component of the Univers ...

earning a B.A. in Kinesiology and Sports Studies. He moved around the business world for a time and settled into the banking business as vice president at Compass Bank in

Tempe, Arizona Tempe ( ; ''Oidbaḍ'' in O'odham language, O'odham) is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, with the Census Bureau reporting a 2020 population of 180,587. The city is named after the Vale of Tempe in Greece. Tempe is located in t ...

, not far from the

campus. After banking he accumulated over 15 years of extensive experience in management and leadership at various companies including Cox Communications. He then earned an M.A. in Organizational Management from the University of Phoenix and was in his first year of working towards a Ph.D. when he fell ill to Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP), a rare autoimmune blood disorder. In addition to TTP, in July 2016, he learned of his early-stage dementia diagnose, due to years of trauma to the head from playing football. These traumatic events, three months apart, prompted Darryl to write the book "Hear My Story Before I Forget" and start a foundation to bring awareness to TTP and brain injuries. Although he is no longer playing ball, he keeps his hand in the game as President and co-founder of SportMetric, along with co-founders Josh Jakubczak and Darius Perry, a company emphasizing education, community involvement, and athletics for the youth.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clack, Darryl 1963 births Living people Players of American football from Colorado Springs, Colorado American football return specialists American football running backs Arizona State Sun Devils football players Arizona State Sun Devils men's track and field athletes Dallas Cowboys players Orlando Thunder players Toronto Argonauts players University of Texas at El Paso alumni 21st-century African-American sportsmen 21st-century American sportsmen 20th-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century American sportsmen