Joey Clinkscales

William Joseph Clinkscales (born May 21, 1964) is an American football executive and former player who serves as the director of player personnel for the Vegas Vipers of the XFL. Clinkscales was previously the director of player personnel for the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). He has worked for the New York Jets from 1994 to 2012, rising to Vice President of College Scouting during his final four years with the team. A former wide receiver, he was drafted in 1987 by the Pittsburgh Steelers. He played in the NFL for two seasons, initially with the Steelers, and then with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Joey Clinkscales
Vegas Vipers
Position:Director of player personnel
Personal information
Born: (1964-05-21) May 21, 1964
Asheville, North Carolina, U.S.
Career information
High school:Knoxville (TN) Austin-East
College:Tennessee
NFL Draft:1987 / Round: 9 / Pick: 233
Career history
As a player:
As an executive:

Clinkscales played college football at the University of Tennessee, where he was a member of the 1985 "Sugar Vols" squad, and was a captain of the 1986 team.

Early life

Clinkscales was born in Asheville, North Carolina. He attended Austin-East High School in Knoxville, Tennessee, where he was a teammate of future NFL players Reggie McKenzie and Raleigh McKenzie. A dual-threat quarterback, he passed for 1,059 yards and ran for 900 to win All-South and All-State honors during his senior season. He also played basketball, averaging 14 points and 6 assists per game. He was ranked the number two recruit in the state of Tennessee by the Knoxville News Sentinel.[1]

Playing career

College

Clinkscales played college football at the University of Tennessee from 1982 to 1986. He converted to wide receiver during his first year, deferring the quarterback position to highly talented fellow signee Tony Robinson.[2] Clinkscales played during an era when Tennessee garnered a reputation as "Wide Receiver U." Five of Clinkscales's teammates in the Vol receiving corps— Anthony Hancock, Willie Gault, Clyde Duncan, Tim McGee, and Anthony Miller— would become first-round NFL draft picks.[3] In spite of the stiff competition for playing time, Clinkscales caught 68 passes for 1,105 yards and 10 touchdowns during his college career.[4]

While learning to play wide receiver, Clinkscales redshirted in 1982 and played sparingly in 1983.[5] During the 1984 season, however, he worked his way into the starting lineup. Although he was twice injured and missed several games, he managed 9 catches for 160 yards and 3 touchdowns, leading the team in yards-per-catch with 17.8. In the Vols' 43–30 loss to Florida, Clinkscales made an athletic 48-yard touchdown catch in the 4th quarter to pull the team to within a score. He also had a 14-yard touchdown catch in the Vols' 29–10 loss to Auburn, and an 8-yard touchdown reception in the team's 28–27 win over Alabama.[6]

During Tennessee's memorable 1985 season, Clinkscales caught 22 passes for 434 yards and 4 touchdowns.[7] In the season opener against UCLA, he caught 4 passes for 106 yards,[8] including a 68-yard touchdown that would be the 1985 team's longest play from scrimmage.[9] He had a 10-yard touchdown catch in the 4th quarter of the Vols' 38–20 victory over Auburn, and his 9-yard touchdown catch in the 4th quarter against Wake Forest helped the Vols escape with a 31–29 win.[10] In Tennessee's 17–10 loss to Florida, Clinkscales caught 7 passes for 101 yards,[7] much of which came on a 65-yard reception that set up the Vols' only touchdown.[11] He caught two short passes in Tennessee's 1986 Sugar Bowl victory,[7] including a key third-down conversion on the Vols' first scoring drive.

Clinkscales was Tennessee's leading returning receiver for the 1986 season, and was named a team captain.[4] Starting alongside rising star Anthony Miller, he registered a team-leading 37 catches for 511 yards and 3 touchdowns.[12] He had seven catches in the opener against New Mexico,[13] and caught 5 passes for 63 yards in the Vols' 14–13 loss to Georgia Tech.[14] In a key game against Ole Miss late in the season, Clinkscales caught 6 passes for 92 yards, including a 38-yard touchdown reception in the 4th quarter that gave the Vols the lead.[15] In Tennessee's 21–14 win over Minnesota in the 1986 Liberty Bowl, Clinkscales caught 7 passes for 72 yards and two touchdowns, including the go-ahead touchdown in the 4th quarter. He was named the game's "outstanding offensive player" for his efforts.[16]

Pittsburgh Steelers

Clinkscales was drafted in the ninth round of the 1987 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers as the 233rd overall pick.[17] One reason he was not selected earlier in the draft was his lack of speed, as his time of 4.55–4.65 seconds in the 40-yard dash was considered slow for an NFL receiver.[18] Kippy Brown, Tennessee's wide receivers coach, stated, "Pittsburgh's got a steal." He dismissed concerns over Clinkscales' speed, arguing, "In a clutch situation, I'd take Clinkscales over anybody I've coached."[18] Steelers offensive coordinator Tom Moore noted that Clinkscales had "a tremendous amount of quickness and concentration and ball judgment."[18]

Although Clinkscales performed well in the Steelers' 1987 training camp, he fell behind after suffering a leg injury, and was cut after the first preseason game.[19] He re-signed with the team during the players' strike that year, however. He delivered his best performance in the Steelers' game against Atlanta, which was played primarily with replacement players, catching 6 passes for 150 yards and a touchdown, and drawing praise from legendary Steelers coach Chuck Noll.[20] One week later against the Rams, however, he had just one catch for 17 yards.[21] After the strike had ended, he remained in the lineup as a reserve. Following an injury to veteran John Stallworth, Clinkscales received considerable playing time in the game against Cincinnati, catching 4 passes for 51 yards.[19] He was waived by the Steelers in October 1988.[22]

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Clinkscales signed briefly with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after leaving the Steelers,[23] but was waived after just a few weeks. He signed as a free agent with Indianapolis and later with Cleveland, but was unable to make either roster.[24][25]

Executive career

Clinkscales initially worked for the Steelers as a part-time scout in the early 1990s, and joined the New York Jets in 1994 as a full-time scout.[26] He was elevated to national scout for the Jets in 2002.[27] In 2006, he was promoted to Director of College Scouting. Two years later, he was named Vice President of College Scouting.[28] In late 2007, he was interviewed by Bill Parcells for the vacant Miami Dolphins general manager position. In 2012, he was among the candidates interviewed for the St. Louis Rams general manager position.[29]

In May 2012, the Oakland Raiders hired Clinkscales as Director of Player Personnel. This move reunited Clinkscales with his old high school and college teammate, Raiders General Manager Reggie McKenzie.[30] He was fired in January 2019, shortly after McKenzie was fired.[31]

In May 2019, Clinkscales was named director of player personnel for the Los Angeles Wildcats of the XFL.[32]

In June 2022, Clinkscales was named director of player personnel for the planned Las Vegas XFL team,[33] which was named the Vegas Vipers in September.

References
  1. "1982 Tennessee Signees," 1982 Tennessee Volunteers Football Program (University of Tennessee, 1982), p. 61.
  2. David Keirn, "Color Doesn't Count; UT's Black Quarterbacks Have Left Giant Tracks Archived 2011-09-28 at the Wayback Machine," Knoxnews.com, 2002. Retrieved: July 10, 2013.
  3. Mike Strange, "Vols Were Sugar Sweet," Knoxnews.com, September 30, 2012. Retrieved: July 10, 2013.
  4. Tennessee Career Football Statistics Archived September 28, 2013, at the Wayback Machine, UTSports.com. Retrieved: July 9, 2013.
  5. 1984 Tennessee Volunteers Football Program (University of Tennessee, 1984), p. 45.
  6. 1985 Tennessee Volunteers Football Program (University of Tennessee, 1985), p. 59.
  7. 1986 Tennessee Volunteers Football Program (University of Tennessee, 1986), pp. 59–60.
  8. UCLA Bruins at Tennessee Volunteers (September 14, 1985) Archived February 13, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, College Football Belt. Retrieved: July 10, 2013.
  9. 1985 Tennessee Volunteers Football Program Archived October 29, 2013, at the Wayback Machine, p. 105.
  10. 1986 Tennessee Volunteers Football Program Archived February 2, 2014, at the Wayback Machine (University of Tennessee, 1986), p. 100.
  11. Chuck McClung, "Gators Keep Tabs On Tony; Defense Neutralizes Vols' Dangerous QB," Orlando Sentinel, October 13, 1985. Retrieved: July 10, 2013.
  12. 1987 Tennessee Volunteers Football Program (University of Tennessee, 1987), p. 105.
  13. "Vols Down Lobos in Season Opener," UT vs. Mississippi State Football Program (University of Tennessee, September 13, 1986), p. 80. Retrieved: July 10, 2013.
  14. "Tech Slips Past Vols," UT vs. Memphis Football Program (University of Tennessee, November 8, 1986), p. 80. Retrieved: July 10, 2013.
  15. "Vols Overpower Mississippi," UT vs. Kentucky Football Program (University of Tennessee, November 22, 1986), p. 80.
  16. "1986 Comeback Capped By Stirring Liberty Bowl Win," 1987 Tennessee Volunteers Football Program (University of Tennessee, 1987), p. 104.
  17. "1987 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
  18. "Tennessee Receiver Could Be a Big Catch for the Steelers," Los Angeles Times, August 16, 1987. Retrieved: July 10, 2013.
  19. Tom Rose, "Steelers' Clinkscales Can Hang On," Washington (PA) Observer-Reporter, November 27, 1987, p. B-6.
  20. "The Steelers 1987: The Replacement Games." Retrieved: July 10, 2013.
  21. Gary Tuma, "Yesterday's Heroes Become Goats Against Rams," Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, October 12, 1987, p. 22.
  22. Tom Rose, "Blackledge to Start Against Cardinals," Washington (PA) Observer-Reporter, October 8, 1988, p. B-2.
  23. USA Today, October 19, 1988, p. 11-C.
  24. Gainesville Sun, August 23, 1990, p. 3C.
  25. USA Today, August 25, 1989, p. 9-C.
  26. Harvey Fialkov and Ethan Skolnick, "Parcells Sacks Mueller," Orlando Sentinel, January 1, 2008. Retrieved: July 10, 2013.
  27. Gerald Eskenazi, "Kaye Takes Over Jets' College Scouting," New York Times, June 5, 2002. Retrieved: July 10, 2013.
  28. "Jets Announce Front Office Moves," NFL.com, June 14, 2008. Retrieved: July 10, 2013.
  29. Jenny Vrentas, "Jets VP of College Scouting Joey Clinkscales Out of Running for St. Louis Rams GM Job, NJ.com, February 10, 2012. Retrieved: July 10, 2013.
  30. "Joey Clinkscales Named Personnel Director for Raiders," Knoxville News Sentinel, May 16, 2012. Retrieved: July 10, 2013.
  31. Scott Bair, "Raiders Fire Director of Player Personnel Joey Clinkscales," NBC Sports, January 2, 2019.
  32. "XFL L.A. Adds Director of Football Ops And Player Personnel". XFL News Hub. May 29, 2019. Retrieved October 15, 2019.
  33. Rachuk, Stephan (June 8, 2022). XFL Hires Directors of Player Personnel for 2023 Return". XFL Newsroom. Retrieved October 22. 2022.
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