Michael Lutrell "Pinball"
Clemons, O.Ont (born
January 15, 1965, in Dunedin, Florida
, U.S.
) is the
current Vice-Chair for the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League.
Clemons also played with the Argos for twelve seasons, and twice
served as their
head coach. His #31
jersey is one of only four that has been
retired by the
Argos.
He is one of their most famous former players
and also one of the most popular professional athletes in the
history of Toronto
.
Clemons has stated that he feels CFL football is the best football
in the world. Clemons is 5 ft 6 in(167 cm) tall and
weighs 170 pounds (77 kg).
College career
Clemons
graduated with an economics degree from the College of
William and Mary
where he played running
back and return specialist on the football team, as well
as playing soccer for a year. In his four-year college
football career, he compiled 4,778 all-purpose yards and was named
a
Division I-AA all-American.
Professional football career
In 1987, Clemons was drafted by the
Kansas City Chiefs of the
National Football League. During
the
1987 NFL season, Clemons played
in eight games, predominantly as a punt returner, where he
collected 19 returns for 162 yards.
The following year, Clemons tried out for the NFL's
Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but was cut
during their training camp.
When Clemons first joined the Toronto Argonauts in
1989, head coach
Bob O'Billovich nicknamed him "Pinball"
because of his running style. His diminutive size and extraordinary
balance allowed him to bounce between defensive players much like a
pinball inside a pinball machine. During
home games,
The Who song
Pinball Wizard would play on the P.A.
whenever Pinball was involved in a great play. In his first game
with the Argonauts, Clemons was named the player of the game. In
1990, Clemons was awarded as the
CFL most outstanding player
after setting what was a single season record for all-purpose yards
(3300). The following year, Clemons won his very first football
championship as his Argonauts defeated the
Calgary Stampeders to win the
Grey Cup. Clemons would go on to win two more Grey
Cups as a player when the
Doug Flutie
led Argonauts won back-to-back titles during the 1996 & 1997
seasons. It was also in 1997 that Clemons surpassed his single
season all-purpose yards record he set in 1990 by recording 3,840
all-purpose yards. To this day, this record still stands. On
September 15, 2000, Clemons played his last ever game as an
Argonaut. During his 12 year playing career with the Argonauts, set
many team records in the process, including career pass receptions
(682), punt return yards (6,025), punt returns (610), punt return
touchdowns (8), kickoff return yards (6,349), and kickoff returns
(300). He also set single season single-season punt return yards
(1,070 in 1997), punt returns (111 in 1997), and kickoff returns
(49 in 1997). Clemons also amassed a career 25,438 combined yards
during the regular season, a CFL record.
Coaching career
Clemons became
head coach of the Toronto
Argonauts upon ending his playing career on September 15 of the
2000 CFL season. In November, 2001,
he was promoted to
President of the
Argonauts and relinquished his role as head coach in the process to
Gary Etcheverry.
When Etcheverry was fired as head coach on September 17, 2002,
Clemons returned as head coach on an interim basis for the
remainder of the
2002 CFL season.
Clemons was officially given the head coaching job again on
December 17, 2002, while also relinquishing his role as team
president. Clemons has been nominated for the
Annis Stukus Trophy (awarded to the
CFL's coach of the year) for six straight years (between 2002 and
the
2007 CFL season) and has come up
short each time. He also became the first
black head coach to win the
Grey Cup in the
2004 CFL
season, and the second ever to have guided his team to a
pro-football championship in North America. (
Darren Arbet of the
San Jose SaberCats was the first to do so
in 2002 with an
ArenaBowl XVI
victory.)
Clemons has the second most head coaching wins in Argonauts history
with 68. Bob O'Billovich is first with 89. Clemons' record is
68-55-1 in the regular season, and a 6-5 playoff record (including
1-0 in Grey Cup games). As a coach, his nickname was often
shortened to "
Pinner" by his players.
Sports administrator
From November 2001 to September 2002, Clemons served as the team
President. He ended his tenure as President to resume his second
stint as the team's head coach. On December 4, 2007, Clemons
stepped down as head coach of the Argonauts to become their new
Chief Executive Officer. At
the end of the
2008
Toronto Argonauts season, Clemons announced that he would no
longer act in the day-to-day business of the organization and on
May 6, 2009, Bob Nicholson was announced as the new president and
chief executive officer of the Argonauts. On that same day, Clemons
was appointed the Vice-Chair of the team. In his new role, Clemons
will report to Nicholson as his special advisor, handling a range
of duties including providing input and assistance with key sales
and corporate partner programs, significant community initiatives,
and brand and media relations.
Personal life
Pinball is a devout
Christian and is a
frequent public speaker on community and Christianity. He is also a
partner of the children's brand Simply Kids, a line of diapers,
baby food and healthcare products found in supermarkets across
Canada and the United States.
Clemons started playing football at age 8 with the Dunedin Golden
Eagles, a youth organization co-ordinated by the Police Athletic
League.
Currently,
Clemons resides in Oakville, Ontario
with his wife, Diane (a native Floridian), and
three daughters (who were all born in Canada) as a permanent resident of Canada.
Clemons has described himself (borrowing a quote from
C.D. Howe) as an
"American by birth but Canadian by choice". It has been suggested
that Clemons has remained an American citizen to rebuff any calls
for him to run for political office, such as for mayor of
Toronto.Clemons was the subject of
Pinball: The Making of a
Canadian Hero (ISBN 978-0-470-83690-3) a biography written by
Perry Lefko published in 2006.
In April,
2007 he visited Calderstone Middle School in Brampton
to help
start a reading program.
On August 21, 2007, Clemons founded the "Michael 'Pinball' Clemons
Foundation" which is dedicated to helping disadvantaged
youth.
On March
23, 2009, Clemons appeared on the CTV
news @ 6 as
a celebrity guest host to do the weather in celebration for
Dave Devall's retirement.
He is currently working with
Marc
Kielburger and
Craig
Kielburger, founders of
Free the
Children, in an initiative to build schools and clean water
systems in Africa.
Achievements
- CFL record for Most Combined Yards, All-Time Regular Season:
25,396 (1989–2000)
- CFL record for Most Combined Yards, Regular Season: 3,840
(1997)
- Recorded over 5,000 career yards in rushing (5,232), pass
receptions (7,015), kickoff returns (6,349), and punt returns
(6,025)
- Argonauts team records for career pass receptions (682), punt
return yards (6,025), punt returns (610), punt return touchdowns
(8), kickoff return yards (6,349), and kickoff returns (300)
- Argonauts team records for single-season punt return yards
(1,070 in 1997), punt returns (111 in 1997), and kickoff returns
(49 in 1997)
- Argonauts team record for single-game kickoff returns (8) on
August 21, 1990, versus Edmonton
Eskimos
- CFL most outstanding
player (1990)
- Three-time Grey Cup champion as a player (1991, 1996, 1997)
- One-time Grey Cup champion as a head coach (2004)
- Two-time CFL All-Star (1990, 1997)
- Two-time Tom Pate Award
winner (1993,
1996)
- One-time Eastern
Division Most Outstanding Player Trophy winner (1990)
- Four-time Eastern Division All-Star (1990, 1993, 1994,
1997)
- Order of Ontario (2001)
- Voted one of the CFL's Top 50
players (#31) of the league's modern era by Canadian sports
network TSN.
- Was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of
Fame in 2008.
CFL Coaching Record
| Team |
Year |
Regular Season |
Post Season |
| Won |
Lost |
Ties |
Win % |
Finish |
Won |
Lost |
Result |
| TOR |
2000 |
6 |
4 |
0 |
.600 |
4th in East Division |
- |
- |
(interim coach) |
| TOR |
2001 |
7 |
11 |
0 |
.389 |
4th in East Division |
- |
- |
|
| TOR |
2002 |
4 |
2 |
0 |
.666 |
2nd in East Division |
1 |
1 |
Lost in Division Finals |
| TOR |
2003 |
9 |
9 |
0 |
.500 |
2nd in East Division |
1 |
1 |
Lost in Division Finals |
| TOR |
2004 |
10 |
7 |
1 |
.583 |
2nd in East Division |
3 |
0 |
Won Grey Cup |
| TOR |
2005 |
11 |
7 |
0 |
.611 |
1st in East Division |
0 |
1 |
Lost in Division Finals |
| TOR |
2006 |
10 |
8 |
0 |
.556 |
2nd in East Division |
1 |
1 |
Lost in Division Finals |
| TOR |
2007 |
11 |
7 |
0 |
.611 |
1st in East Division |
0 |
1 |
Lost in Division Finals |
References
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