Charles Clay (American football) facts for kids
Clay with the Buffalo Bills in 2015
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| Position: | Tight end | ||||||
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| Born: | February 13, 1989 Little Rock, Arkansas, U.S. |
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| Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||
| Weight: | 246 lb (112 kg) | ||||||
| Career information | |||||||
| High school: | Little Rock Central (Little Rock, Arkansas) | ||||||
| College: | Tulsa (2007–2010) | ||||||
| NFL Draft: | 2011 / Round: 6 / Pick: 174 | ||||||
| Career history | |||||||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||||||
Charles Clay (born February 13, 1989) is a former American professional football player. He was a talented tight end who also played as a fullback and H-back. Clay played college football at the University of Tulsa. He was chosen by the Miami Dolphins in the 2011 NFL Draft. He also played for the Buffalo Bills and Arizona Cardinals during his career.
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Early Life and High School Football
Charles Clay grew up in Little Rock, Arkansas. He went to Little Rock Central High School. During his senior year, he was considered one of the top football players in Arkansas. He was known for his strong running skills, gaining 891 yards and scoring 11 touchdowns. He also caught four touchdown passes.
College Football Career
After high school, Clay attended the University of Tulsa. He studied business while playing football for the Tulsa Golden Hurricane from 2007 to 2010.
Freshman Year Success
As a freshman in 2007, Clay played in all 14 games. He quickly showed his skills by catching 69 passes for 1,024 yards and seven touchdowns. He also ran for 304 yards and one touchdown. His amazing receiving yards placed him second on the school's all-time freshman receiving list. He earned honors like being named to the C-USA All-Freshman team.
Continued College Performance
In 2008, as a sophomore, Clay continued to play a key role. He had 38 catches for 464 yards and nine touchdowns. He also ran the ball 25 times for 145 yards and two touchdowns.
As a junior in 2009, he played in all 12 games. He caught 39 passes for 530 yards and five touchdowns. He also rushed for 236 yards and seven touchdowns. In his senior year in 2010, he played in 13 games. He recorded 43 receptions for 526 yards and seven touchdowns, along with 226 rushing yards.
By the end of his college career, Clay had rushed for 685 yards and 10 touchdowns. He also gained over 2,000 receiving yards and scored 21 receiving touchdowns.
Professional Football Career
Charles Clay was drafted by the Miami Dolphins in the sixth round of the 2011 NFL draft. He signed his first professional contract on July 29, 2011.
Miami Dolphins (2011–2014)
Clay made his first career catch on October 2, 2011. On November 20, he scored his first touchdown against the Buffalo Bills. He finished his first season with 16 catches for 233 yards and three touchdowns. In 2012, he had 18 catches for 212 yards and two touchdowns. He mostly played as a fullback during these years.
In the 2013 season, Clay became the starting tight end for the Dolphins. This happened after the team's main tight end, Dustin Keller, got injured. In his second game as a starter, Clay scored his first rushing touchdown. He also had 109 receiving yards in that game. Later that season, he made a memorable play against the Pittsburgh Steelers. He broke several tackles on his way to a touchdown. He finished the 2013 season with 69 catches for 759 yards and six touchdowns. He also had a rushing touchdown. His strong performance earned him a spot on the NFL Top 100 Players list for 2014.
In 2014, Clay started 14 games for the Dolphins. He missed two games due to an injury. In one game, he had a career-best 114 yards on six catches. For the season, he recorded 58 receptions for 605 yards and three touchdowns.
Buffalo Bills (2015–2018)
On March 19, 2015, Charles Clay signed a five-year contract with the Buffalo Bills. The Dolphins chose not to match the offer.
In his first season with the Bills in 2015, he started 13 games. He had a career-high nine catches in two different games that season. He finished with 51 catches for 528 yards and three touchdowns.
In 2016, Clay played in all 16 games. He scored four touchdowns, all coming in games 13 to 15.
On September 10, 2017, Clay caught four passes for 53 yards and a touchdown against the New York Jets. He played a big part in a victory over the undefeated Atlanta Falcons in Week 4, gaining 112 yards.
In 2018, Clay had 21 catches for 184 yards, which was a career low, and no touchdowns. On February 15, 2019, the Bills released him.
Bills Team Records
- First Bills tight end with two seasons in a row having 50+ catches and 500+ receiving yards.
- Tied for most consecutive games with 1+ receiving touchdown by a Bills tight end (3 games).
Arizona Cardinals (2019)
On February 19, 2019, Clay signed a one-year contract with the Arizona Cardinals. He played 15 games for the Cardinals, starting 10 of them. He had 18 catches for 237 yards and one touchdown during his time with the team.
Personal Life
Charles Clay is the son of Charles and Jerrilyn Clay. His father also played college football at the University of Arkansas. Charles Clay was a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
