Don Clark (American football)
| Date of birth | December 22, 1923 |
|---|---|
| Place of birth | Churdan, Iowa |
| Date of death | August 6, 1989 (aged 65) |
| Place of death | Huntington Beach, California |
| Career information | |
| Position(s) | Guard, linebacker |
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) |
| Weight | 197 lb (89 kg) |
| College | USC |
| Career history | |
| As player | |
| 1948–1949 | San Francisco 49ers |
| Career stats | |
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Donald Rex Clark (December 22, 1923 – August 6, 1989) was an American football player and coach who was perhaps best known as the head coach of the USC Trojans football team from 1957 to 1959. He compiled a 13–16–1 record while coaching at USC, going 0–5–1 against rivals UCLA and Notre Dame. The highlight of his career was in 1959, when USC shared the inaugural AAWU title in a three-way tie. However, he remains the only coach to post a losing record at USC over more than one season.
Clark was born in Churdan, Iowa, and his family moved to Los Angeles when he was 15. He attended USC, where he played as a guard on the football team under coach Jeff Cravath in 1942 before entering the military during World War II.
Playing alongside teammates including John Ferraro and Paul Salata, he returned to USC for the 1946 and 1947 seasons, and was captain of the latter team which lost the 1948 Rose Bowl to Michigan.
He served in a rifle platoon during the Battle of the Bulge, and lost fillings in six teeth when an 88 shell went off nearby. Following the war he competed in military track meets in the shot put, and received an athletic award from General George S. Patton.
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