Dutch Clark
Teams
Portsmouth Spartans/Detroit Lions (1931-1932,1934-1938)
Playoffs
Appearances - 1 (1935)
Conf Champ Games - 1 (1935)
Champ Games - 1 (1935)
Championships - 1 (1935)
Awards and Honors
All-Pro First Team - 6 (1931,1932,1934,1935,1936,1937)
Hall of Fame - 1963
All-Time Ranks
League Leads
Passing Yards (#4-1934, #6-1932,1936)
Passing Touchdowns (#3-1936, #6-1932,1935)
Passing Yards per Game (#4-1934, #6-1932,1936)
Rushing Yards (#3-1934,1936, #4-1932,1935,1937)
Rushing Touchdowns (#1-1934,1936,1937, #2-1932,1935)
Yards per Rush (#2-1934,1936,1937, #4-1935, #8-1932)
Rushing Yards per Game (#3-1932,1934, #6-1935,1936,1937)
Receptions (#7-1932)
Receiving Touchdowns (#3-1932, #8-1935)
Total Touchdowns (#1-1935, #2-1932,1934,1936, #4-1937)
Scrimmage Yards (#2-1934,1935, #3-1932, #5-1936, #10-1937)
Yards per Touch (#3-1934,1936,1937, #4-1935, #8-1932)
Dutch Clark was a 4-sport athlete at Colorado College, graduating in 1930, after which he stayed at the school as head basketball coach and assistant football coach. After 1 year, he took a leave of absence to join the Portsmouth Spartans of the NFL.
Individual yardage statistics were not recorded during Clark's rookie season, but he scored 9 rushing touchdowns on the season and led the Spartans to a second-place finish in the league. He was #1 in the league in touchdowns when he left the team to return to his college basketball coaching job, but was still named First Team All-Pro.
His second season was much like his first, with All-Pro First Team honors, a winning record with the Spartans, and leaving the team early to return to his coaching job. After the 1932 season, he decided to quit playing and focus on coaching full-time.
While he was away, the Spartans moved to Detroit and became the Lions, and they convinced him to return to the team in 1934. He had his best overall season, finishing third in rushing yards, 4th in passing yards, and first in the league in touchdowns, once again gaining All-Pro honors.
He returned in 1935, and led the league with 6 total touchdowns, leading the Lions all the way to the championship game for the first time. In that game, he rushed for 80 yards and a touchdown, and also kicked an extra point as the Lions beat the Giants 26-7.
In 1936 and 1937, he again led the league in rushing touchdowns and made the All-Pro First Team, which made 6 straight seasons to start his career. At that point, he retired as a player and was hired as the team's coach. He ended up playing in 6 games in 1938 as an emergency backup, rushing for 25 yards.
After that season, he left the Lions to join the Cleveland Rams as head coach, still intending to play in a limited role, but the league ruled that the Lions still held his playing rights, so he spent the next 4 seasons coaching the Rams, and never played another game.
In his 6 full seasons as a player, Clark was named to the All-Pro Team every season, and led the league in either rushing touchdowns or total touchdowns 4 times. He also won a championship for the Lions, the first in their history, and was also frequently among the league leaders in passing and kicking throughout his career. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in the first group ever elected, and needs to be part of the list of the greatest runners of all time.
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