Former Tiger making name for himself with defending champs

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By Joshua Davidson

Much of the talk heading into last week's Monday Night Football matchup between the defending Super Bowl champion Pittsburg Steelers and the Denver Broncos centered around would the Steelers starting free safety Ryan Clark play in the matchup. The eight-year pro ended up sitting out the game due to a sickle cell trait that would have put his life at risk playing in the high altitude climate at Mile High in Denver.

It was just two years prior, when Clark had his spleen and gall bladder removed due to the extreme conditions in Denver mixed with too much exertion in the thin air. What many Tiger fans may not remember - myself included - was that Clark was one of the top safeties to come out of LSU before making a strong name for himself in the NFL.

Clark was one of the top recruits in Louisiana coming out of high school in 1997 and made the choice to attend an LSU team just on the verge of becoming the program it is today.

Clark redshirted his first season with the Tigers and would later be a special team stalwart in his redshirt freshman campaign in route to being named the Special Teams Player of the Year in 1998. It wasn't until his sophomore year that he finally got his chance to start, and boy did he impress.

The Marrero, Louisiana native began his streak of consecutive starts in the fall of 1999, and he didn't relinquish his position until he graduated in 2001 bringing the streak to an impressive 36 straight starts at free safety.

Clark would go on to be in the top three in tackles for the Tigers all three years as a starter accumulating 297 tackles and seven interceptions in that span.

Some highlights of Clarks collegiate career included being named to the ALL-SEC second team by both Sporting News and the SEC coaches as a junior and would later have one of his best games as a Tiger in the 2001 Sugar Bowl where he recorded five tackles, a sack for 13 yards and two pass breakups.

After having one of the more decorated careers of any defensive back to have played at LSU, Clark was signed as an undrafted free agent by the New York Giants in 2002 where he would play two, up and down seasons both on the team and the practice squad.

Clark scored his big break when he was signed by the Washington Redskins in 2004 where he stepped in as a starter due to injuries and ended up leading the defensive backs on the team with 91 tackles, which ranked fourth overall on the team. He would go on to play one more season with the Redskins recording 57 tackles and three interceptions.

The best thing that could have ever happened to Clark occurred during the following offseason when, then Steelers starting free safety Chris Hope opted to leave the team and sign with the Tennessee Titans for more money. This opened the door for the Louisiana native to step right in and start 12 games for the then defending Super Bowl champion Steelers.

Since, Clark has made a name for himself as one of the staples on one of the NFL's most feared defenses. He received a Super Bowl trophy of his own this past year when the Steelers beat the Arizona Cardinals, a game in which he recorded five tackles.

Despite having the sickle cell trait, Ryan Clark continues to work hard and strive to be known as one of the best safeties in the league. As long as the former Tiger avoids playing in places like Denver, there's no reason to believe he can't be one of the best in the game.

Originally Published: Issue 824 - November 18, 2009

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