Don Clark (born December 27, 1936) is a former all-star running back 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). Clark played his college football for the

Ohio State Buckeyes The Ohio State Buckeyes are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Ohio State University, located in Columbus, Ohio. The athletic programs are named after the colloquial term for people from the state of Ohio and after the state tree, ...

. Playing from 1956 to 1958, he was a member of their 1957

Rose Bowl Rose Bowl or Rosebowl may refer to: * Rose Bowl Game, an annual American college football game * Rose Bowl (stadium), Pasadena, California, site of the football game, and the home stadium of the UCLA Football team * Rose Bowl (cricket ground), West ...

victory and national championship. An All-American, he was drafted in the first round by 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 of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...

, even though he was injured. Clark eventually signed with the

Ottawa Rough Riders The Ottawa Rough Riders were a Canadian Football League team based in Ottawa, Ontario, founded on September 19, 1876. Formerly one of the oldest and longest-lived professional sports teams in North America, the Rough Riders won the Grey Cup cham ...

in 1959. After rushing for 343 yards, he couldn't agree on contract terms with Ottawa, and was traded to the

Winnipeg Blue Bombers The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are a professional Canadian football team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Blue Bombers compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division (CFL), West division. They play thei ...

, who promptly dealt him to the

Montreal Alouettes The Montreal Alouettes (Canadian French, French: ''Les Alouettes de Montréal'') are a professional Canadian football team based in Montreal, Quebec. Founded in 1946, the team has disbanded twice and been re-established thrice. The Alouettes compe ...

. Clark was part of a Lark's backfield which also included George Dixon. He rushed for 902 yards in 1960 (Dixon had 976) and 1143 yards in 1961, when he was selected as an Eastern All Star. Injuries took their toll during his last two years, as he played only 12 games and rushed for 435 and 447 yards (while Dixon won the MVP award rushing for 1520 yards.) Clark retired in 1964, only 27 years old, due to knee, rib and kidney injuries.
CFLAPEDIA - Don Clark

References

1936 births Living people All-American college football players Montreal Alouettes players Ohio State Buckeyes football players Ottawa Rough Riders players Players of American football from Akron, Ohio Players of Canadian football from Ohio 21st-century African-American sportsmen 21st-century American sportsmen 20th-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century American sportsmen {{Runningback-1930s-stub