Frank Clark (American football) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Frank Clark

Clark with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2019
Position:	Linebacker
Personal information
Born:	(1993-06-14) June 14, 1993 (age 31) Bakersfield, California, U.S.
Height:	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:	265 lb (120 kg)
Career information
High school:	Glenville (Cleveland, Ohio)
College:	Michigan (2011–2014)
NFL Draft:	2015 / Round: 2 / Pick: 63
Career history
Seattle Seahawks (2015–2018) Kansas City Chiefs (2019–2022) Denver Broncos (2023) Seattle Seahawks (2023)
Career highlights and awards
2× Super Bowl champion (LIV, LVII) 3× Pro Bowl (2019–2021) Second-team All-Big Ten (2013)
Career NFL statistics
Tackles: 271 Sacks: 58.5 Forced fumbles: 14 Fumble recoveries: 7
Player stats at PFR

Frank Dominick Clark (born June 14, 1993), nicknamed "the Shark", is an American professional football linebacker who is a free agent. He played college football for the Michigan Wolverines, where he was All-Big Ten. Clark was selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the second round of the 2015 NFL draft. He has also played for the Denver Broncos and the Kansas City Chiefs, with whom he won two Super Bowls. In his postseason career, he has collected 13.5 sacks, third most in NFL history.

Early life

In high school, Clark played numerous positions for head coach Ted Ginn Sr. at Glenville High School, but he was least interested in playing the position that Ginn felt he was most naturally suited to play (outside linebacker or defensive end). The position he was most interested in playing was safety. As a senior, he recorded 70 tackles and 19 sacks on defense, and caught 12 passes, including three for touchdowns on offense.

In track & field, Clark competed in events ranging from sprints, hurdles and jumps. He had bests of 23.5 seconds in the 200-meter dash, 15.53 seconds in the 110m hurdles, 39.55 seconds in the 300m hurdles, 1.88 meters (or 6–2) in the high jump, 6.37 meters (20–5) in the long jump and 13.07 meters (42–7.75) in the triple jump. He also ran the 40-yard dash in 4.53 seconds.

Clark was a three-star nationally rated player at outside linebacker, tight end, and defensive end. He signed his National Letter of Intent to attend Michigan on February 2, 2011.

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes

Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	40‡	Commit date
Frank Clark TE/OLB/DE	Cleveland, Ohio	Glenville High School (OH)	6 ft 2.5 in (1.89 m)	207.5 lb (94.1 kg)	4.53	Feb 2, 2011
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 77
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 33 (TE)   Rivals: 52 (OLB)  ESPN: 83 (DE), 46 (OH)
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources:

College career

Clark with Michigan in 2012

As a freshman for the 2011 Wolverines, Clark had an interception that set up one of Michigan's two touchdowns in the January 3, 2012 Sugar Bowl against Virginia Tech. In the following offseason leading up to the season opener for the 2012 team against Alabama, Clark was suspended from the team for felony second-degree home invasion, for alleged theft of a MacBook Air. He was allowed to return to practice a few weeks later. He eventually pleaded guilty to the felony charge after missing one week. He was subject to punishment not more than 15 years in prison and $3,000 fine, but was eligible for sentencing under the Holmes Youthful Trainee Act, which would expunge the record upon satisfaction of probation requirements. Clark had quarterback sacks in each of the team's two final regular season games against Iowa and Ohio State.

In Clark's first two years at Michigan he added over 60 pounds (27.22 kg), without losing any speed. On September 21, he had 1.5 sacks against Connecticut, including one on third down during Connecticut's final possession as the 2013 Wolverines clung to a 24–21 lead. He also had two sacks against Penn State on October 12 and ran back a fumble recovery for a touchdown, although it was not enough to help Michigan avert its first loss of the season. Following the regular season, he was recognized as a second-team All-Big Ten selection by the coaches and an honorable mention selection by the media. On November 16, 2014, Clark was arrested for domestic violence and dismissed from the football team.

Professional career

Seattle Seahawks (first stint)

Clark playing for the Seahawks in his rookie season.

Clark was selected in the second round of the 2015 NFL draft with the 63rd overall selection by the Seattle Seahawks. With his selection he joined the Legion of Boom defense coming off back-to-back Super Bowl appearances. He spent the 2015 season as a backup to Michael Bennett and Cliff Avril at defensive end. Clark had 2 tackles in week 3 against the Chicago Bears on September 27. On November 29, Clark had a sack against the Pittsburgh Steelers. On December 6 against the Minnesota Vikings, Clark had 2 sacks. In the Divisional Round of the 2015–16 NFL playoffs against the Carolina Panthers, Clark had one sack in the 31–24 loss.

Clark finished the 2016 regular season with 10 sacks and two forced fumbles.

During the offseason on May 9, 2017, Clark was criticized for a tweet he directed at Bleacher Report journalist Natalie Weiner. Weiner had previously written about Clark's domestic violence arrest. Clark told Weiner that "People like you don't have long careers in your field. I have a job for you cleaning my fish tanks when that lil job is ova." In the 2017 season, he finished with nine sacks, 32 total tackles, two passes defensed, and two forced fumbles. In Week 6 of the 2018 season, Clark recorded 2.5 sacks on quarterback Derek Carr to along with four tackles in a 27–3 win over the Oakland Raiders, earning him NFC Defensive Player of the Week. He finished the season with 41 combined tackles, 13 sacks, two pass deflection, one interception, and three forced fumbles through 16 starts.

On March 4, 2019, the Seahawks placed the franchise tag on Clark.

Kansas City Chiefs

Clark signing an autograph at Chiefs' training camp in 2019

On April 23, 2019, Clark was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs along with the Seahawks' 3rd round selection in the 2019 NFL draft, in exchange for the Chiefs' 1st and 3rd round selections in the 2019 NFL draft and a conditional second-round selection (less favorable of Chiefs/49ers second-round picks) in the 2020 NFL draft. After the trade, he signed a five-year contract worth $105.5 million with $63.5 million guaranteed. Clark made his debut with the Chiefs in Week 1 against the Jacksonville Jaguars. In the game, Clark made one tackle and intercepted quarterback Gardner Minshew in the 40–26 win. In Week 3 against the Baltimore Ravens, Clark recorded his first sack of the season on Lamar Jackson in the 33–28 win. In Week 6 against the Houston Texans, Clark forced a fumble on Carlos Hyde and recovered the ball in the 31–24 loss. In Week 7 against the Denver Broncos, Clark recorded 2 sacks on Joe Flacco in the 30–6 win. Overall, Clark finished the 2019 season with 37 total tackles, eight sacks, four passes defensed, three forced fumbles, and one interception

In the Divisional Round of the playoffs against the Texans, Clark sacked Deshaun Watson three times during the 51–31 win. In the AFC Championship Game against the Tennessee Titans, Clark made a game ending sack on Ryan Tannehill on a fourth down late in the fourth quarter to seal a 35–24 Chiefs' win. In Super Bowl LIV against the San Francisco 49ers, Clark recorded a sack on Jimmy Garoppolo on a fourth down late in the fourth quarter during the 31–20 win.

Clark finished the 2020 season with 29 total tackles, six sacks, and two passes defensed in 15 games. In the AFC Championship against the Buffalo Bills, Clark recorded two sacks on Josh Allen during the 38–24 win. In Super Bowl LV against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Clark recorded one sack on Tom Brady during the 9–31 loss.

In 2021, Clark started 14 games and finished the season with 22 total tackles and 4.5 sacks. Clark was also selected to his third Pro Bowl.

In week 7 of the 2022 season, Clark recorded his first career safety, sacking Jimmy Garoppolo in the end zone. Two days later on October 25, 2022, he was suspended for two games for his arrest in June 2021. In the AFC divisional Round, Clark recorded a sack in the Chiefs 27-20 victory over the Jaguars. In the AFC Championship Game, Clark recorded 2.5 sacks in the Chiefs 23-20 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals to avenge the loss from the previous year and reach Super Bowl LVII. In the Super Bowl, Clark recorded 1 tackle in the Chiefs 38-35 win over the Philadelphia Eagles. It was the Chiefs' second Super Bowl win in four years.

On March 7, 2023, the Chiefs released Clark.

Denver Broncos

Clark signed with the Broncos on June 13, 2023. He was released on October 14, 2023. He was released after being on the Broncos roster for 5 games, three of which he was inactive for. His short tenure with the Broncos ended with recording just two tackles.

Seattle Seahawks (second stint)

On October 26, 2023, the Seahawks signed Clark to a one-year deal. On December 30, the Seahawks waived Clark.

NFL career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs