John Clay (running back)

Last updated

John Clay
John Clay (running back).JPG
Clay with the Steelers in 2011
No. 38
Position: Running back
Personal information
Born: (1988-01-04) January 4, 1988 (age 36)
Racine, Wisconsin, U.S.
Height:6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:248 lb (112 kg)
Career information
High school: Washington Park
(Racine, Wisconsin)
College: Wisconsin (2007–2010)
Undrafted: 2011
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Rushing attempts:10
Rushing yards:41
Rushing touchdowns:1
Player stats at PFR

John Clay (born January 4, 1988) is a former football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Wisconsin Badgers and was signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers as an undrafted free agent after the 2011 NFL draft.

Contents

In high school, he received numerous awards for his accomplishments on the field at Washington Park High School, being named to the Racine County Sports Hall of Fame in 2018, and was one of the most heavily recruited players in the country. Clay was ruled ineligible to play by the NCAA after not meeting Wisconsin admission requirements before being ruled eligible for the 2008 season.

High school

Clay attended Washington Park High School in Racine, Wisconsin. He was named a high school All-American in 2006 and played in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl game. A 4-star recruit, [1] he committed to Wisconsin on national signing day after declining offers from Tennessee, Ohio State, Nebraska, and Iowa. [1]

After graduating from high school and before the start of summer football camp, Clay was notified by the NCAA that his grades had not met the requirements to play collegiate football. He had recorded a 2.7 core GPA and received a 7 on his ACT. [1] Clay attended summer school to complete the required course work, then rejoined his teammates and began practicing with the Badgers. His late start forced him to redshirt in 2007.

Honors

College career

Clay carries the ball against Michigan in 2008 John Clay at Michigan 2008.jpg
Clay carries the ball against Michigan in 2008

As a redshirt freshman in 2008, Clay saw his first action on the field against the University of Akron, where he posted 71 yards and his first collegiate touchdown on just 12 carries. He finished the season second on the team and seventh in the Big Ten Conference in rushing with 884 yards on 155 carries and nine touchdowns.

In 2009, Clay led the Big Ten and ranked eighth in the country with 1,517 rushing yards. His 18 rushing touchdowns also led the Big Ten and tied for seventh in the nation. On November 23, 2009, Clay was named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year, the third Badgers' player to be so named Big Ten, joining fellow running backs Ron Dayne (1999) and Brent Moss (1993).

Clay was on the cover of the December 11, 2009 edition of Sports Illustrated , an issue that featured the best sports photos of 2009. The picture was taken during the Michigan game at Camp Randall Stadium.

Clay entered the 2010 football season on the preseason watch lists for the Doak Walker Award, the Walter Camp Award, and the Maxwell Award. He was selected as a Playboy All-American. An MCL injury sidelined Clay for the last three 2010 regular season games, damaging his chances at the Heisman. Clay was named one of three finalists for the 2010 Doak Walker Award, which is given annually to the nation's top running back. The other two finalists were Kendall Hunter of Oklahoma State and the winner of the award, LaMichael James of Oregon.

For the 2010 season, Clay finished with 1,012 rushing yards and 14 rushing touchdowns.

Statistics

YearTeamAttemptsYardsAverageLongTDs
2008 Wisconsin 1558845.7469
2009 Wisconsin 2771,5175.57218
2010 Wisconsin 1871,0125.44014
College Totals6193,4135.57241

[2]

Professional career

On January 7, 2011, Clay announced he would forgo his senior season to enter the 2011 NFL draft. [3]

Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeightArm lengthHand span 40-yard dash Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press Wonderlic
6 ft 0 in
(1.83 m)		262 lb
(119 kg)		28 in
(0.71 m)		7+3⁄4 in
(0.20 m)		4.97 s24 in
(0.61 m)		8 ft 4 in
(2.54 m)		9 reps6 [4]
All values from NFL Combine [5]

Clay went undrafted in the 2011 NFL draft.

Clay was signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers as an undrafted free agent on July 26, 2011. [6] He waived for final cuts on September 2, 2011 but was re-signed two days later to the practice squad. On December 23, 2011, he was added to the team's active roster. He scored his first touchdown on his first carry in the NFL on December 24, 2011, a 10-yard score. [7]

Clay was waived/injured on August 14, 2012, [8] but subsequently reverted to injured reserve on August 16. He was given an injury settlement and released from injured reserve on August 20. [9]

Related Research Articles

Brian Calhoun is an American former professional football player who was a running back for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Wisconsin Badgers and was selected by the Detroit Lions in the third round of the 2006 NFL draft.

Henry Major Poteat, II is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback in the National Football League (NFL), and current cornerbacks coach for the Iowa State Cyclones football team. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the third round of the 2000 NFL Draft. He played college football at Pittsburgh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Hart (American football)</span> American football player and coach (born 1986)

Leon Michael Hart is an American football coach and former player. Hart played college football as a running back at the University of Michigan, from 2004 to 2007, and holds the Michigan Wolverines career rushing record with 5,040 yards. He was selected by the Indianapolis Colts in 2008, and played three seasons in the NFL. Hart has worked as an assistant football coach at the University of Michigan, Syracuse University, Western Michigan University, Eastern Michigan University, and Indiana University Bloomington.

Brent A. Moss was an American football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) and XFL. He played college football for the Wisconsin Badgers, winning the Big Ten Most Valuable Player and Jim Brown Trophy in 1993. He played for the St. Louis Rams, Amsterdam Admirals and the Memphis Maniax.

Parrish "P. J." Hill Jr. is a former American football running back. He played college football at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Hill was a member of the New Orleans Saints, Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Redskins of the NFL.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1999 Wisconsin Badgers football team</span> American college football season

The 1999 Wisconsin Badgers football team represented the University of Wisconsin in the 1999 NCAA Division I-A football season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jordan Todman</span> American football player (born 1990)

Jordan Todman is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Connecticut Huskies, earning first-team All-American honors in 2010. Todman was selected by the San Diego Chargers in the sixth round of the 2011 NFL draft. He was also a member of the Minnesota Vikings, Jacksonville Jaguars, Carolina Panthers, Pittsburgh Steelers, Indianapolis Colts, New York Jets, and Houston Texans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scott Tolzien</span> American football player (born 1987)

Scott Jeffery Tolzien is a former American football quarterback and coach who is the quarterbacks coach for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Wisconsin. He was signed by the San Diego Chargers as an undrafted free agent in 2011. He was also a member of the San Francisco 49ers, Green Bay Packers, and Indianapolis Colts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Montee Ball</span> American football player (born 1990)

Montee Ball Jr. is an American former football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for the Denver Broncos. He played college football for the Wisconsin Badgers, twice earning consensus All-American honors. Until November 2015, Ball held NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) records for the most career rushing touchdowns with 77 and the most career total touchdowns with 83. He was selected by the Denver Broncos in the second round of the 2013 NFL draft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Gilreath</span> American football player (born 1988)

David Gilreath is a former American football wide receiver. Gilreath played college football at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jared Abbrederis</span> American football player (born 1990)

Jared Ryan Abbrederis is a former American football wide receiver. He played college football at Wisconsin and was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the fifth round of the 2014 NFL draft. He was also a member of the Detroit Lions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joel Stave</span> American football player (born 1992)

Joel Stave is a former American football quarterback. He played college football at Wisconsin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Melvin Gordon</span> American football player (born 1993)

Melvin Gordon III is an American football running back who is a free agent. He played college football for the Wisconsin Badgers, earning unanimous All-American honors and winning the Doak Walker Award as the top college running back in 2013. He was selected by the San Diego Chargers in the first round of the 2015 NFL draft with the 15th overall pick.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corey Clement</span> American football player (born 1994)

Corey Joel Clement is an American football running back who is a free agent. He played college football at Wisconsin, and was signed by the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted free agent in 2017. He won Super Bowl LII with the team his rookie season, catching a touchdown in the game and helping execute the Philly Special.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 Wisconsin Badgers football team</span> American college football season

The 2016 Wisconsin Badgers football team represented the University of Wisconsin–Madison in the 2016 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Badgers, led by second-year head coach Paul Chryst, were members of the West Division of the Big Ten Conference and played their home games at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin.

Brandon Reilly is a former American football wide receiver. He played college football at Nebraska. Reilly was awarded Academic All-Big Ten twice consecutively, both in 2013 and 2014, as well as six Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll awards. Reilly is well known for catching the game-winning touchdown pass to upset the undefeated No. 7 Michigan State Spartans football team in the 2015 season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jonathan Taylor (American football)</span> American football player (born 1999)

Jonathan Taylor is an American football running back for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL). Taylor played high school football at Salem High School, where he set a New Jersey state rushing yards record. He played three seasons of college football at Wisconsin, where he finished his college career as the sixth all-time rusher in the NCAA and became the first player in history to rush for more than 6,000 yards in any three-year span.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 Wisconsin Badgers football team</span> American college football season

The 2018 Wisconsin Badgers football team represented University of Wisconsin–Madison in the 2018 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Badgers were led by fourth year head coach Paul Chryst and competed as members of the West Division of the Big Ten Conference. They played their home games at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin.

Joseph Justyn Taylor is an American football running back, and return specialist for the Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Arizona. Taylor is also a professional Rocket League esports player of Team Oxygen.

Mohamed Ibrahim is an American football running back who is a free agent. He played college football for the Minnesota Golden Gophers.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Scout.com John Clay Profile". Scout.com. Retrieved October 13, 2008.
  2. ↑ "John Clay Stats". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 13, 2008.
  3. ↑ "Badgers' RB Clay will test NFL waters". journaltimes.com. Retrieved January 7, 2011.
  4. ↑ McGinn, Bob (April 16, 2011). "State NFL draft prospects". JSOnline.com. Archived from the original on April 20, 2018. Retrieved April 20, 2018.
  5. ↑ http://www.nfl.com/combine/profiles/john-clay?id=2495460#tabs:tab-overview Clay NFL Combine
  6. ↑ Vukovcan, Mike (July 26, 2011). "Steelers Sign Undrafted Free Agents". pittsburgh.cbslocal.com. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
  7. ↑ "Clay scores first NFL touchdown". journaltimes.com. December 24, 2011. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
  8. ↑ "Steelers place Clay on waived/injured list". journaltimes.com. August 14, 2012. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
  9. ↑ Bryan, Dave (August 21, 2012). "Steelers Release John Clay After Reaching Injury Settlement". steelersdepot.com. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.