| No. 45 | |||||||||||
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| Position: | Safety | ||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||
| Born: | June 14, 1942 Atlanta, Georgia | ||||||||||
| Height: | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||||||||||
| Weight: | 217 lb (98 kg) | ||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||
| High school: | Chattanooga (TN) Baylor | ||||||||||
| College: | Florida | ||||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 1964 / Round: 7 / Pick: 85 | ||||||||||
| AFL Draft: | 1964 / Round: 18 / Pick: 141 | ||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||
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| Career AFL statistics | |||||||||||
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| Player stats at NFL.com · PFR | |||||||||||
Hagood Clarke, III (born June 14, 1942) is an American former college and professional football player who was a defensive back in the American Football League (AFL) for five seasons during the 1960s. Clarke played college football for the University of Florida, and thereafter, he played professionally for the Buffalo Bills of the AFL.
Clarke was born in Atlanta, Georgia in 1942. [1] For his high school education, he attended Baylor School in Chattanooga, Tennessee, [2] where he played high school football for the Baylor School Tigers.
Clarke attended the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where he was a walk-on player for coach Ray Graves' Florida Gators football team from 1961 to 1963. [3] Clarke played both ways for the Gators, playing halfback on offense and safety on defense. Memorably, he caught a nineteen-yard touchdown pass to clinch the Gators' 17–7 upset win over the ninth-ranked Penn State Nittany Lions in the 1962 Gator Bowl, [4] intercepted a third-quarter Joe Namath pass to help preserve a 10–6 upset of the third-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa in 1963, [5] and ran for a seventy-yard touchdown to provide the margin of victory in the Gators' 27–21 win over the Miami Hurricanes later that same season. [6] He was also the Gators' principal punter in 1962, with forty-six punts for 1,884 yards (and average of 41.0 yards per kick). [3] Clarke led the Gators in punt return yardage in 1961 and 1962, and was the recipient of the Gators' Fergie Ferguson Award, recognizing the "senior football player who displays outstanding leadership, courage and character," in 1963. [3]
Clarke graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor's degree in business administration in 1965, and was later inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a "Gator Great." [7]
Clarke was selected by the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL) in the seventh round (85th pick overall) of the 1964 NFL Draft, [8] but signed with coach Lou Saban's Buffalo Bills of the alternative AFL, and played his entire five-year career as a safety and punt returner for the Bills from 1964 to 1968. [9] In his first three seasons with the Bills, the team won the AFL Championship Game in 1964 [10] and 1965, [11] and lost it in 1966. [12] Statistically, Clarke's best season was 1965, when he had seven interceptions and played in the AFL All-Star Game. [13] He also was an All-AFL 2nd team selection in 1966, when he had five interceptions, [9] including an interception of a George Blanda pass followed by a 66-yard return for a touchdown in the final twenty-seven seconds to beat the Houston Oilers, 27–20. [14] In 1968, his final season with the Bills, Clarke had an 82-yard punt return for a touchdown against the New York Jets. [15]
Clark appeared in sixty-seven games in his five-season AFL career, and compiled twelve interceptions for 178 interception return yards and a touchdown. [1] He also tallied sixty-five career punt returns for 583 yards and two touchdowns. [1]
Clarke is a financial consultant in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
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Lito Decorian Sheppard is an American football coach and former cornerback. During his playing career, he played in the National Football League (NFL) for ten seasons. He was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the first round of the 2002 NFL Draft after playing college football for the University of Florida. He played for the Eagles for seven seasons, and was selected to the Pro Bowl twice. He also played for the NFL's New York Jets, Minnesota Vikings, and Oakland Raiders. As a coach, he was the safeties coach for the Orlando Apollos of the Alliance of American Football (AAF) in 2019.
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The Florida–Florida State football rivalry is an American college football rivalry between the teams of the two oldest public universities of the U.S. state of Florida: the University of Florida Gators and Florida State University Seminoles. Both universities participate in a range of intercollegiate sports, and for the last several years, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services has sponsored a "Sunshine Showdown" promotion that tallies the total number of wins for each school in head-to-head sports competition. However, the annual football game between the Gators and Seminoles has consistently been the most intense and notable competition between the in-state rivals.
Ricky Rennard Nattiel, nicknamed "Ricky the Rocket," is an American former college and professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for six seasons during the 1980s and 1990s. Nattiel played college football for the University of Florida, and thereafter, he played professionally for the Denver Broncos of the NFL.
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Thomas Johnson "John" Reaves was an American college and professional football player who was a quarterback for eleven seasons in the National Football League (NFL) and three seasons in the United States Football League (USFL) during the 1970s and 1980s. Reaves played college football for the University of Florida, and earned All-American honors. He was a first-round pick in the 1972 NFL Draft, and played professionally for the Philadelphia Eagles, Cincinnati Bengals, Minnesota Vikings, Houston Oilers, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the NFL, and the Tampa Bay Bandits of the USFL.
Bobby Joe Green was an American college and professional football player who was a punter and running back in the National Football League (NFL) for fourteen seasons during the 1960s and early 1970s. Green played college football for the University of Florida, and thereafter, he played professionally for the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Chicago Bears of the NFL.
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Jarvis Eric Williams, Sr. was an American college and professional football player who was a defensive back in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons during the 1980s and 1990s. Williams played college football for the University of Florida, and was recognized as an All-American. Thereafter, he played professionally for the Miami Dolphins and the New York Giants of the NFL. Williams died unexpectedly at the age of 45.
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The 1966 Florida Gators football team represented the University of Florida in the sport of American football during the 1966 NCAA University Division football season. The Gators competed in the University Division of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Southeastern Conference (SEC). In their seventh season under head coach Ray Graves, the Gators compiled a 9–2 overall win–loss record, finished 5–1 and placed third among the SEC's ten teams. Led by quarterback Steve Spurrier, the Gators outscored their opponents by a combined total of 265 to 147 and concluded their 1966 season with a 27–12 victory over the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in the 1967 Orange Bowl. The Gators were not ranked in the final AP Poll, but finished No. 11 in the final UPI Coaches Poll.
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