Danny Clark (American football) facts for kids
Clark in 2009
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| Position: | Linebacker | ||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||
| Born: | May 9, 1977 Blue Island, Illinois, U.S. |
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| Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||||
| Weight: | 233 lb (106 kg) | ||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||
| High school: | Country Club Hills (IL) Hillcrest | ||||||||||
| College: | Illinois | ||||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 2000 / Round: 7 / Pick: 245 | ||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||||||||||
Danny Clark IV, born on May 9, 1977, is a former professional American football player. He played as a linebacker. The Jacksonville Jaguars picked him in the 2000 NFL draft. Before playing professionally, he was a college football star at the University of Illinois. Clark also played for teams like the Oakland Raiders, Houston Texans, New York Giants, and New Orleans Saints.
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Danny Clark's Early Life and High School
Clark was born in Blue Island, Illinois. He grew up playing many sports.
High School Football Star
At Hillcrest High School in Country Club Hills, Illinois, Clark was a standout athlete. He played both quarterback and linebacker. He was named All-conference for both positions. He was also chosen as an All-area player. Later, he was even picked as an All-State defensive back.
During his senior year, Clark showed his skills on offense. He ran for 505 yards and scored seven touchdowns. He also threw for 913 yards and five touchdowns. Besides football, he also played basketball and baseball in high school.
Danny Clark's College Football Career
Clark attended the University of Illinois. There, he played for the Fighting Illini football team.
Playing for the Fighting Illini
He started 44 out of 45 games during his four seasons. Clark was recognized as an honorable mention All-Big Ten player three times. He finished his college career with 384 tackles. This was the sixth-highest number of tackles in Illinois history. He even had more tackles than Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker Dick Butkus.
In 1999, his senior year, Clark was again an honorable mention All-Big Ten player. He started all 12 games and made a career-high 122 tackles. He also had 3 sacks and one interception. As a junior, he led his team with 115 tackles. He also had 2 interceptions, 7 passes defended, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery. Clark earned a bachelor's degree in communications from Illinois.
Danny Clark's Professional Football Journey
Danny Clark was a strong player coming out of college. He was known for his speed and strength.
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand size | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | Bench press | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 2+1⁄8 in (1.88 m) |
245 lb (111 kg) |
33 in (0.84 m) |
10+1⁄2 in (0.27 m) |
4.82 s | 1.67 s | 2.81 s | 20 reps | |||||
| All values from NFL Combine | ||||||||||||
Jacksonville Jaguars (2000-2003)
The Jacksonville Jaguars drafted Clark in the seventh round of the 2000 NFL draft. He was the 245th player chosen overall. He signed a four-year contract with the Jaguars.
During his four seasons with the Jaguars, Clark played in 61 games. He started 27 of those games. He played both as a linebacker and on special teams. In 2001, he played in 13 games and started 3. He finished with 48 tackles and 17 special teams tackles. In the 2002 NFL season, he started all 16 games. He became the Jaguars' second-leading tackler with 152 tackles. He also had 2 sacks and 1 interception. In 2003, his last year in Jacksonville, he played in all 16 games. He had 73 tackles and 11 special teams tackles.
Oakland Raiders (2004-2005)
In 2004, Clark joined the Oakland Raiders. He signed a two-year contract on March 11, 2004. He became a full-time starting linebacker for the Raiders.
He started all 16 games in 2004. He led the Raiders in tackles with 129. He also had 2 sacks. In 2005, he started 15 of 16 games. He led the Raiders in tackles for the second year in a row with 113 stops.
New Orleans Saints (First Time: 2006)
Clark signed a one-year contract with the New Orleans Saints on September 5, 2006. He played one season with the team. He appeared in all 16 games, but did not start any. He recorded 29 tackles. The Saints made it to the NFC Championship game that year.
Houston Texans (2007)
Clark signed a one-year contract with the Houston Texans on March 7, 2007. He played in 13 games and started eight. He recorded 51 tackles and had an interception.
New York Giants (2008-2009)
On March 13, 2008, Clark joined the New York Giants. He signed a two-year contract. In 2008, he played in all 16 regular season games. He started 15 of them. He was third on the team with 74 tackles. He also started in the NFC Divisional Playoff game against Philadelphia.
New Orleans Saints (Second Time: 2010)
Clark signed with the New Orleans Saints again on September 6, 2010. He started 10 games and had 59 tackles during the season. He officially retired from playing football on August 10, 2011.
Danny Clark's NFL Career Highlights
Danny Clark had a long and successful career in the NFL. He was known for his strong tackling and consistent play.
- He played in 168 regular season games.
- He started 102 of those games.
- He made a total of 689 tackles.
- He had 7.0 sacks.
- He forced 9 fumbles and recovered 2.
- He also had 2 interceptions.
