| No. 50, 56, 58 | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Center, Guard |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | (1947-10-26)October 26, 1947 Rocky Mount, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Died: | April 7, 2006(2006-04-07) (aged 58) Greensboro, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
| Weight: | 250 lb (113 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Rocky Mount (NC) |
| College: | Wake Forest |
| Undrafted: | 1970 |
| Career history | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Stats atPro Football Reference | |
James Thomas Clack (October 26, 1947 – April 7, 2006) was an American professionalfootballcenter andguard in theNational Football League (NFL). He played for 11 seasons between 1971 and 1981. He died ofheart failure in 2006 after suffering fromcancer for four years.
Clack graduated fromWake Forest University. He began his career with thePittsburgh Steelers, and he was part of twoSuper Bowl championship teams in 1974 and 1975.[1]
In April 1978, the Steelers traded Clack (along with wide receiverErnie Pough) to theNew York Giants in exchange for offensive linemanJohn Hicks.[2] Clack spent four seasons with the Giants.
Clack was the Center who snapped the ball to QuarterbackJoe Pisarcik. Pisarcik fumbled the ball attempting to hand-off to FullbackLarry Csonka. Hitting the hip of Csonka the ball bounced in to the hands ofHerman Edwards who returned the fumble for a touchdown at the end of the November 19, 1978 game between the Giants and thePhiladelphia Eagles atGiants Stadium, costing the team a certain victory in a play since known as "The Miracle at the Meadowlands" to Eagles' fans and "The Fumble" to Giants' fans. The last second win propelled the Eagles into the playoffs and prompted the NFL to adopt the "kneel down" play, otherwise known as the "victory formation" to end games.
Clack was inducted into the Wake Forest's hall of fame in 1981, and into theNorth Carolina Sports Hall of Fame in 2004.