The Bizarre Tale of Hall of Famer Earl “Dutch” Clark

October 11, 1906 – Earl “Dutch” Clark was a former Colorado College quarterback.

According to the National Football Foundation’s website, Clark had some interesting football stories in both his college and pro career after he grew up in Colorado. The first was that he had committed to play at the University of Michigan, and while on his way, the four-sport high school star was kidnapped by some folks at Northwestern University. He disappointed his Wildcat suitors and returned to Colorado due to homesickness, where he played for his local Colorado College team.

As a pro, his team, the Portsmouth Spartans, had the same record as the Chicago Bears. The first postseason game in NFL history was scheduled to decide a champion, featuring some massive twists and turns that made it quite a remarkable story.

Spartans star Dutch Clark was unable to play in the game because he had to work. Dutch worked as the Head Basketball Coach at Colorado College. His hoops team had a game on December 18, but he couldn’t get off work to attend the first NFL Championship football game. The National Football Foundation selected him to enter its College Football Hall of Fame in 1951.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame requested his presence in 1963.

NFL Career and Accolades:

• NFL Champion: Clark led the Detroit Lions to the 1935 NFL Championship.
• The Original Triple-Threat: Clark was one of the league’s last and greatest “triple-threat” backs, excelling as a runner, passer, and kicker (including the nearly obsolete drop-kick).
• NFL Firsts: He was named to the inaugural class of the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1963 and the inaugural class of the College Football Hall of Fame in 1951.
• All-Pro Honors: He was named First-team All-Pro six times (1931, 1932, 1934-1937) over his eight playing seasons.
• Scoring King: Clark led the NFL in scoring three times (1932, 1935, 1936) and held the league’s career scoring record at the time of his retirement with 369 points.
• All-Decade Team: He was named to the NFL 1930s All-Decade Team and the NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team.
• Detroit Lions Legacy: His jersey No. 7 is retired by the Lions. He also served as player-coach for the Lions in his final two seasons (1937–1938).
• Career Stats (75 Games): 2,772 Rushing Yards (36 TDs), 1,507 Passing Yards (11 TDs), 341 Receiving Yards (6 TDs), 15 Field Goals, 72 Extra Points.