Dutch Clark

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Earl “Dutch” Clark (1906–1978) was an American football player and coach, as well as a basketball player and coach, who became a legendary figure in early NFL history and helped start the Detroit Lions’ long tradition of greatness.

Early life and college
Clark was born in Fowler, Colorado, and grew up in Pueblo. He excelled in multiple sports at Central High School, earning all-state honors in football and basketball. He attended Colorado College, where he played football, basketball, and baseball and earned a first-team All-American honor in 1928 as a football quarterback—the first All-American from Colorado College. After graduating in 1930, he stayed on as Colorado College’s head basketball coach and an assistant football coach.

NFL playing career
In 1931, Clark joined the Portsmouth Spartans, who later became the Detroit Lions. He quickly became one of the NFL’s top players, leading the league in scoring at times and earning multiple All-Pro selections. Clark helped the Lions win the 1935 NFL Championship and was named the league’s most valuable player by United Press in 1936. He was known for his versatility as a passer, runner, and kicker, and for his leadership on and off the field. He finished his eight-year NFL career with impressive rushing and passing totals and, at retirement, held the NFL’s career scoring record. The Lions retired his No. 7 jersey in his honor.

Coaching and later career
Clark also had a long coaching and executive career. He coached at Colorado School of Mines in 1933, then served as head coach for the Detroit Lions (1937–1938) and the Cleveland Rams (1939–1942). He led the Seattle Bombers in the 1944 American Football League and later worked as a backfield coach for the Los Angeles Dons in 1949. In 1950 he joined the University of Detroit Titans as an assistant coach, and in 1951 he became the team’s head coach and athletic director, a role he held until 1954. He also served in the United States Army during World War II and later worked in insurance and business.

Legacy and honors
Clark’s legacy is reflected in his many honors. He was named to the inaugural College Football Hall of Fame class (1951) and the inaugural Pro Football Hall of Fame class (1963). He was also chosen for the NFL 1930s All-Decade Team and was among the early “Pride of the Lions” honorees. In Pueblo, a stadium was renamed Earl “Dutch” Clark Stadium in his honor, and a statue was later added. In 2019 he was named to the NFL’s 100th Anniversary All-Time Team. Clark’s influence extended beyond football; he is remembered as a pioneering multi-sport leader who helped shape the Lions’ early identity.

Personal life
Clark married Dorothy Schrader in 1930, and they had a son, Earl Clark Jr., in 1934. Dorothy died in 1952; Clark remarried in 1955 to Ruth Jane Lowther, with whom he had a son, Timothy, and he also became stepfather to Ruth’s two older sons. He spent his later years in Michigan and Colorado before dying of cancer in Canon City, Colorado, in 1978. He is buried in Canon City.