 Clark at the2007 Indianapolis 500 | |||||||||
| No. 44, 87 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Tight end | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born | (1979-06-12)June 12, 1979 (age 46) Sioux Falls, South Dakota, U.S. | ||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||||
| Listed weight | 252 lb (114 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school | Twin River Valley (Bode, Iowa) | ||||||||
| College | Iowa (1998–2002) | ||||||||
| NFL draft | 2003: 1st round, 24th overall pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Dallas Dean Clark (born June 12, 1979) is an American former professionalfootball player who was atight end for 11 seasons in theNational Football League (NFL), primarily for theIndianapolis Colts. He playedcollege football for theIowa Hawkeyes, earningunanimous All-American honors and recognition as the top college tight end in the nation. He was selected by Indianapolis in the first round of the2003 NFL draft and he was a member of theirSuper Bowl XLI championship team against theChicago Bears. He also played in the NFL for theTampa Bay Buccaneers and theBaltimore Ravens.
Clark was born inSioux Falls, South Dakota.[1] He graduated from Twin River Valley High School inBode, Iowa, where he was a multi-sport star. He earned four letters infootball,basketball, andtrack and three letters inbaseball. As a high schooler, he earned honorable mention all-conference honors in football and was second-team all-conference as a sophomore. As a junior, Clark was named his team's most valuable player and a first-team all-conference and honorable mention all-state selection after recording 140 tackles. He was team captain and MVP again as a senior, recording 160 tackles, and earned first-team all-conference and second-team all-state honors.
Clark attended theUniversity of Iowa, where he played for theIowa Hawkeyes football team from 1999 to 2002. He did not see action during the 1999 season, but he finally saw the field in 2000. He played on special teams and made six tackles during the season as a linebacker. Prior to the 2001 season, the Iowa coaching staff decided to move Clark to the tight end position.
Clark started 10 games at tight end for Iowa in 2001, catching 38 passes for 539 yards and four touchdowns on the season. He also played special teams, recovering an on-side kick to clinch a win againstPenn State and recording five tackles on the year. Clark was named honorable mentionAll-Big Ten Conference.
After being granted a scholarship for 2002, Clark started all 13 games as he helped lead Iowa to its first undefeated conference season in 80 years. Clark was the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week againstPurdue, when he caught three passes for 116 yards and two touchdowns. His first touchdown came in the third quarter, when he broke a Purdue tackle and raced 95 yards for a touchdown. It was the longest pass play inKinnick Stadium history and the second longest in school history. Clark's second touchdown came with 1:07 left in the game. With the Hawkeyes trailing, 28–24, Clark caught a seven-yard pass on fourth and goal from quarterbackBrad Banks to give Iowa a 31–28 win.[2] On the year, Clark finished with 43 catches for 742 yards and 4 touchdowns.
Clark was the 2002 recipient of theJohn Mackey Award which is presented to the most outstanding tight end in college football, a first-teamAll-Big Ten selection, and a unanimous first-team All-American.[3] He won the Kenny Yana Award at the end of the 2002 season as well, as he helped lead Iowa to theBig Ten title and an 11–2 record. Although he had one more year of eligibility remaining, Clark decided to enter the 2003 NFL Draft. He left Iowa with 1,281 career receiving yards in just two years at the tight end position.
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | Vertical jump | Broad jump | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft3+3⁄8 in (1.91 m) | 257 lb (117 kg) | 32 in (0.81 m) | 10+1⁄8 in (0.26 m) | 4.65 s | 37.5 in (0.95 m) | 10 ft 3 in (3.12 m) | ||||||
| All values fromNFL Combine[4][5] | ||||||||||||
Clark was chosen in the first round of the2003 NFL draft by theIndianapolis Colts with the 24th overall pick.[6] When drafted, the Colts called Clark a "perfect fit" for their system, eventually replacingMarcus Pollard andKen Dilger at the position.[7] He started 10 games as a rookie and had 340 receiving yards before suffering a broken leg against theNew England Patriots.[8] He started 15 games in 2004 and had 423 yards receiving with five touchdown receptions.
Clark started 15 games in 2005 and caught 37 passes for 488 yards and four touchdowns. He started in 11 games in the 2006 season before suffering a knee injury in the November 26 home game against thePhiladelphia Eagles. He returned for the playoffs and played very well leading up to the Colts' firstSuper Bowl berth since moving to Indianapolis. In the Colts' three playoff games, he caught a total of 17 passes for 281 yards as a member of the 2006Super Bowl Champion Indianapolis Colts. In the 29–17 victory over theChicago Bears, he caught four passes for 36 yards and rushed the ball once for a one-yard gain. In 15 starts in 2007 season, Clark had 58 receptions for 616 yards, shatteringJohn Mackey Colts record for receptions for a tight end (55) and touchdowns (11).[7]
On February 19, 2008, the Colts placed thefranchise tag on Clark. The next day, the Colts signed him to a six-year contract extension, with his salary averaging $4.5 million per year ($41 million in total), making him the highest paid tight end in the NFL.
On December 28, 2008, Clark broke the Colts' franchise record, held by Hall of FamerJohn Mackey, for yards in a season by a tight end (848). On September 21, 2009, Clark had career high 183 receiving yards and a touchdown in just seven receptions at theMonday Night Football match up againstMiami Dolphins, this is also the fourth highest receiving yards ever for aTight end inNFL history. On November 8, 2009, against theHouston Texans Clark caught 14 balls; a career-high for him.[9] He was named AFC Offensive Player-of-the-Week because of his performance against Houston.[10] On January 3, 2010, against theBuffalo Bills, Clark caught his 100th reception of the season, the second tight end to do so in NFL history. He ended the 2009 season with 100 catches for 1,106 yards and 10 touchdowns.
On October 17, 2010, Clark sustained a wrist injury playing theWashington Redskins and was put on injured reserve on Friday, October 22, 2010, after season-ending wrist surgery. He completed the season with 37 catches for 347 yards and three touchdowns.[11] He was ranked 78th by his fellow players on theNFL Top 100 Players of 2011.[12]
Clark's surgically repaired wrist would again hinder his production in the 2011 regular season, limiting him to 34 receptions for 357 yards and two touchdowns in only 11 games. This was also the first season Clark played without quarterbackPeyton Manning, who missed the entire season rehabbing from offseason neck surgery. Along withJoseph Addai andGary Brackett, Clark was released by the Colts on March 9, 2012, two days after they released Peyton Manning.[13]
Clark signed a one-year contract with theTampa Bay Buccaneers on May 21, 2012.[14] He finished the season with 47 receptions for 435 yards and 4 touchdowns.[15]
On August 13, 2013, Clark signed a one-year contract with theBaltimore Ravens.[16] He finished the season with 31 receptions for 343 yards and 3 touchdowns.[17]
On June 18, 2014, Clark signed a one-day contract with the Colts, so that he could retire as a member of the team.[18]
| Year | Team | GP | Receiving | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | |||
| 2003 | IND | 10 | 29 | 340 | 11.7 | 42 | 1 |
| 2004 | IND | 15 | 25 | 423 | 16.9 | 80 | 5 |
| 2005 | IND | 15 | 37 | 488 | 13.2 | 56 | 4 |
| 2006 | IND | 12 | 30 | 367 | 12.2 | 40 | 4 |
| 2007 | IND | 15 | 58 | 616 | 10.6 | 39 | 11 |
| 2008 | IND | 15 | 77 | 848 | 11.0 | 33 | 6 |
| 2009 | IND | 16 | 100 | 1,106 | 11.1 | 80 | 10 |
| 2010 | IND | 6 | 37 | 347 | 9.4 | 50 | 3 |
| 2011 | IND | 11 | 34 | 352 | 10.4 | 21 | 2 |
| 2012 | TB | 16 | 47 | 435 | 9.3 | 33 | 4 |
| 2013 | BAL | 12 | 31 | 343 | 11.1 | 45 | 3 |
| Career[19] | 143 | 505 | 5,665 | 11.2 | 80 | 53 | |
Clark and his wife, Karen have three children (Dane, Camden, Hazel) and live inLivermore, Iowa. They also have a home inZionsville, Indiana.[20]
Dallas Clark guest starred in theCBS hit showCriminal Minds as San Diego police officer Austin Kent in the episode "The Stranger". Clark said of the experience, "This is fulfilling a dream of mine of being an actor."[11]
