Dukes to Redskins to Ring of Fame

JMU football alum receives Washington Redskins’ highest honor at Sunday’s game

By Tim Chapman, sports editor
Posted on October 11, 2007

LANDOVER, Md. — In the 1980s James Madison football was still finding its footing and establishing itself as a formidable threat in Division 1-AA. 

Madison’s first head coach, Challace McMillin, needed the help of a few elite athletes to guide the program to a winning tradition. One of the elite was Gary Clark.

While linebacker Charles Haley was the face of the defense for nearly half of the decade and kicker Scott Norwood was the standout on special teams, Clark established himself as the playmaker at wide receiver. He amassed 2,863 yards on 155 receptions and 16 touchdowns with the Dukes and still ranks second, third and third in those categories, respectively.

On Sunday, Clark was recognized for his career with the Washington Redskins during a halftime ceremony at FedEx Field. The focus of the game shifted from the current Redskins and the Detroit Lions when former NFL MVP and former Redskin kicker Mark Mosley introduced Clark during the Redskins Ring of Fame ceremony.

The 1983 JMU graduate and Radford native accepted the honor and delivered an emotional speech, in which he praised the Washington fans and questioned why his fellow receiver and teammate Art Monk hadn’t been inducted into the Ring of Fame. In an interview following the ceremony, Clark reflected on his collegiate days and the impact his time in Harrisonburg had on him.

“JMU gave me the resources to have a professional career,” Clark said.

“Without going to JMU, I would’ve never had an opportunity to go on to the pros. I give it all to Challace McMillin and the JMU staff, especially ‘Uncle’ Ron; he took good care of all the football players there,” he said referring to JMU’s former President Ronald E. Carrier.

Despite his slender frame — 5-foot-10 and 170 pounds — Clark caught the eye of McMillin and his staff during his junior year of high school at Pulaski County.

“He was extremely fast and his coaches in high school just said he was an extremely hard worker,” McMillin said at JMU’s practice last Thursday. “There was no doubt that his catching ability was very good.”

The early interest in Clark paid off for both him and the school. The reliable receiver was also an elusive kick returner, attracting professional scouts to JMU.

“I think between myself, Scott Norwood and Charles Haley we all came out and went to Super Bowls pretty early in our careers, so that made a huge,” Clark said.

His evolution as one of the top receivers in the NFL didn’t happen right away; Clark helped pioneer the expansion United States Football League and honed his skills during the league’s only seasons in the summers of ’83 and ’84 with the Jacksonville Bulls.

“I knew when I first came out of school, everybody really wanted me to be a punt returner and a kickoff returner, but I really wanted to play receiver,” Clark said. “So I moved on to the USFL because I was a first round pick, so I’d get a chance to play pretty much what I wanted to play.”

In 1985 Clark signed with the Redskins and flourished in coach Joe Gibbs’ offense. In his eight years in Washington, Clark caught 549 balls for 8,742 yards, ranking third for both on the Redskins all-time list. As a member of the “Posse” with Monk and Ricky Sanders, Clark was the No. 2 receiver, but is remembered as the Redskins big-play threat. Clark helped the Skins to Super Bowl championships in ’87 and ’91. According to Redskins Hall of Fame quarterback Sonny Jurgenson, his play might be the reason why neither Monk or himself has been enshrined in Canton.

“If you go back and look at the era he played in and who he played with, he was the ‘go-to’ receiver,” Jurgenson said following Sunday’s game. “Art was the possession receiver, but the big-play guy was Gary Clark.”

Mike Holbert, a ’80 alum who now resides in Chantilly, Virginia, was also in attendance Sunday and was proud to see Clark recognized as a Redskin great.

“I remember when they beat Virginia, he returned two punts for touchdowns,” Holbert said. “JMU has always been one of the better I-AA teams so it doesn’t really surprise me [how well he did].”

Clark isn’t surprised at how well his career turned out either, but would like to receive his shot at the Hall of Fame as the second Duke. Haley was on the 2007 ballot but wasn’t voted in despite being the only NFL player in history to win five Super Bowl rings.

“Michael Irvin went in the time he probably should have and my numbers are damn near the same,” Clark said. “There’s an argument for this, so maybe once we get Art in we’ll get a campaign started for me.”