Dallas Clark

Dallas Clark

No. 44     Indianapolis Colts
Tight end
Personal information
Date of birth: June 12, 1979 (1979-06-12) (age 32)
Place of birth: Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Height: 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	Weight: 250 lb (113 kg)
Career information
College: Iowa
NFL Draft: 2003 / Round: 1 / Pick: 24
Debuted in 2003 for the Indianapolis Colts
Career history
Indianapolis Colts (2003–present)
Roster status: Active
Career highlights and awards
John Mackey Award (2002) Football Digest NFL All-Rookie Team (2003) 1× Pro Bowl selection (2009) 2× All-Pro selection (2008, 2009) Super Bowl Champion (XLI) NFL Alumni Tight End Player of the Year (2009)
Career NFL statistics as of Week 8, 2011
Receptions	419
Receiving yards	4,801
Receiving average	11.5
Receiving TDs	46
Stats at NFL.com

Dallas Dean Clark (born June 12, 1979) is an American football tight end for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Colts 24th overall in the 2003 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Iowa. He has been called a hybrid tight end for the Colts due to his ability to transform into both wide receiver and tight end in the game.

Early years

Clark was a multi-sport star at Twin River Valley High School in Bode, Iowa, earning four letters in football, basketball, and track and five letters in baseball. As a freshman, he earned honorable mention all-conference honors in football and was second team all-conference as a sophomore.

As a junior, Clark was first team all-conference and honorable mention all-state after recording 140 tackles and being named team MVP. He was his high school team MVP and team captain as a senior, recording 160 tackles. Clark was first team all-conference and second team all-state as a senior.

Clark comes from an athletic family. He grew up a fan of the New York Mets, and still is to this day. His brother, Darrick, played linebacker at Iowa State University from 1996–97, his other brother, Dan, played baseball and football at Simpson College. ^[1]

College career

Clark 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 against Penn State and recording five tackles on the year. Clark was named honorable mention All-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 against Purdue, 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 in Kinnick 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 quarterback Brad Banks to give Iowa a 31-28 win.^[2]

Clark was not only selected first team All-Big Ten, but he was also a consensus first team All-American and 2002 recipient of the John Mackey Award which is presented to the most outstanding Tight End in college football by the Nassau County Sports Commission. He won the Kenny Yana Award at the end of the 2002 season as well, as he helped lead Iowa to the Big 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.

Professional career

Clark was chosen in the first round of the 2003 NFL draft by the Indianapolis Colts with the 24th pick. He started 10 games as a rookie and had 340 receiving yards before suffering a broken leg against the New England Patriots. He started 15 games in 2004 and had 423 yards receiving with 5 receptions for touchdowns.

Clark started 15 games in 2005 and caught 37 passes for 488 yards and 4 touchdowns. He started in 11 games in the 2006 season before suffering a knee injury in the November 26 home game against the Philadelphia Eagles. He returned for the playoffs and played very well leading up to the Colts' first Super Bowl berth in Indianapolis. In the Colts' three playoff games, he caught a total of 17 passes for 281 yards as a member of the 2006 Super Bowl Champion Indianapolis Colts. In the 29-17 victory over the Chicago Bears, he caught four passes for 36 yards and rushed the ball once for a 1 yard gain. In 15 starts in 2007 season, Clark had 58 receptions for 616 yards, and a single season team record for a tight end 11 touchdowns.

On February 19, 2008, the Colts placed the franchise tag 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 Famer John 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 the Monday Night Football match up against Miami Dolphins, this is also the fourth highest receiving yards ever for a Tight End in NFL history. On November 8, 2009 against the Houston Texans Clark caught 14 balls; a career high for him.^[3] On January 3, 2010 against the Buffalo 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 the Washington Redskins and was put on injured reserve on Friday, October 22, 2010, after receiving a season-ending wrist surgery. He completed the season with 37 catches for 347 yards and three touchdowns.^[4]

Family

Clark and his wife, Karen, reside with their son, Dane, in Livermore, Iowa. They also hold residence in Zionsville, Indiana. ^[5]

Other

Clark has guest starred in the CBS hit show Criminal Minds as San Diego Police officer Austin Kent in the episode 6x21 "The Stranger."

References

1. ^ Chadiha, Jeffri (November 12, 2009). "Tragedy spurs Clark to excel". ESPN.com. http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/columns/story?columnist=chadiha_jeff&page=hotread9/DallasClark. Retrieved November 12, 2009. 
2. ^ Clark's Iowa Hawkeye Bio
3. ^ http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/2009092100/2009/REG2/colts@dolphins
4. ^ http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/F/FBN_COLTS_CLARK?SITE=IADES&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
5. ^ Indianapolis Colts Bio

External links

• Indianapolis Colts bio