Nate Clark

Nathan Clark Jr. (February 28, 1933 – February 9, 2005) was an American football halfback who played college football at Hillsdale College from 1953 to 1956. He led Hillsdale to consecutive undefeated seasons in 1955 and 1956 and was selected as a first-team back on the Little All-America teams in both years. He also led the country in scoring with 144 points scored in 1955.

Nate Clark
Nate Clark, 1955
Hillsdale Chargers
PositionHalfback
ClassGraduate
Personal information
Born:(1933-02-28)February 28, 1933
Hawkinsville, Georgia
Died:February 5, 2005(2005-02-05) (aged 71)
Height5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Weight195 lb (88 kg)
Career history
College
Career highlights and awards

Early years

Clark was born in Hawkinsville, Georgia, and raised in Benton Harbor, Michigan. He overcame a speech impediment.[1]

He excelled in sports and appeared in every football game for Benton Harbor High School from 1949 to 1952.[2] He was twice selected as an all-state player.[3] He was also a Golden Gloves champion of Michigan.[4] He compiled a 42–2 record as a boxer.[5]

Hillsdale College

Clark enrolled at Hillsdale College in the fall of 1953. He was the scoring leader for Hillsdale in 1953 with six touchdowns and one extra point in seven games played.[6] As a sophomore in 1954, he was the top scorer in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association.[7]

In 1955, Clark rushed for 949 yards and led all of college football with 144 points (24 touchdowns) scored in nine games played.[8][9] His 144 points led small college football by 36 points over the second-highest scorer.[10] It was also the highest point total scored by a football player in Michigan since Willie Heston in the early 1900s.[11] At the end of the season, he was selected by the Associated Press as a first-team back on the 1955 Little All-America college football team.[8][12]

The 1955 Hillsdale team was invited to play in the 1956 Tangerine Bowl, but the players unanimously decided to decline the invitation after bowl officials advised that Hillsdale's four black players (Clark included) would not be allowed to play.[9][13] Clark later recalled: "I felt bad for the team because it deprived them of the opportunity to play in the bowl, but I was proud of the guys who made the decision because we couldn’t go as a team."[13]

Clark was chosen as co-captain of the 1956 Hillsdale team.[14] With defenses focusing on Clark, his scoring declined, but the extra coverage focused on Clark opened up room for other backs, and Hillsdale coach Muddy Waters opined that Clark played "the best of his four seasons" in 1956.[15] He helped lead Hillsdale to its second consecutive undefeated season and was again included on the first team of the Little All-America team.[16]

Family and later years

Clark was married in 1956 to his high school sweetheart, Lucille Butler.[17][18] They had four children.[9]

In June 1957, Clark received his bachelor's degree in physical education from Hillsdale.[19] He attended camp with the Green Bay Packers, but he hurt his knee and was cut in August 1957.[17][20]

He also returned to boxing in 1957.[21] Clark and his family moved to Detroit in 1969, where he worked for a construction company.[17][22] He was inducted into Hillsdale's athletic hall of fame in 1998.[23]

Clark suffered from diabetes in his later years. He died in 2005 at age 71.[9]

References
  1. Jim Shanahan (October 28, 1955). "Sports Eye-Lites". The Herald-Palladium. p. 14 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. "Sports Eye-Lites". The Herald-Palladium. November 29, 1952. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. "Nate Clark Scores With Legislators". The Herald-Palladium. November 8, 1955. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. "Nate Clark On His Way To 2nd State Glove Title". The Herald-Press. January 30, 1953. p. 11 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. Jim Benagh (September 23, 1976). "Podoley, Clark Still Grid Greats (part 1)". Detroit Free Press. p. 1F – via Newspapers.com.
  6. "Chips' Miller Rushing into Little All-America Picture". Detroit Free Press. November 10, 1953 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. "Nate Clark Top Scorer In MIAA". The News-Palladium. November 12, 1954. p. 17 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. "Nation's Leading Scorer Makes Little All-America". Bergen Evening Record. December 1, 1955. p. 43 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. "Hillsdale great Clark dead". Detroit Free Press. February 12, 2005. p. 2B – via Newspapers.com.
  10. "Nate Clark Wins Grid Point Title". Battle Creek Enquirer. December 11, 1955 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. "Did Nate Clark Outscore Heston?". The Herald-Palladium. November 15, 1955. p. II-2 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. "Nate Clark On 'Little' All-America". Lansing State Journal. December 6, 1956. p. 69 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. Jacky Eubanks (April 9, 2019). "A Brief History of Hillsdale, Part 2: The Twentieth Century". Hillsdale College. Retrieved November 11, 2021.
  14. "Nate Clark Named Hillsdale Co-Captain For '56". The Herald-Press. December 14, 1955 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. Marshall Dann (November 6, 1956). "'Decoy" Nate Clark Worth More to Hillsdale". Detroit Free Press. p. 23 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. Bob Hoobing (December 6, 1956). "Little All-American Headed By Runners". The Knoxville Journal. p. 15 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. "Coming Home". The Herald-Palladium. July 23, 2000.
  18. "Nate Clark Marries". The Holland Evening Sentinel. February 4, 1956. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. "Nate Clark And Gordon Mallett Get Hillsdale Degrees". The Herald-Press. June 7, 1957. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. "Ask Waivers On Nate Clark". The Herald-Palladium. August 15, 1957. p. 17 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. "Nate Clark Wins On KO". The Herald Press. February 8, 1957 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. Jim Benagh (September 23, 1976). "Podoley, Clark Still Grid Greats After 20 Years (part 2)". Detroit Free Press. p. 5F – via Newspapers.com.
  23. "Nate Clark '57". Hillsdale College. Retrieved November 11, 2021.

Additional reading
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