Roughrider Dan Clark a model of perseverance
Even Dan Clark himself admits that there were points early in his Canadian Football League career with the Saskatchewan Roughriders where he wasn’t certain if the game was going to work out for him. When you’re chugging along on the practice roster in your hometown with little indication as to whether or not you will ever make the main line-up, well, things can look pretty bleak.
Fast forward a decade, and not only has Clark cracked the Roughriders offensive line, he’s emerged as one of their standout players, taking over the starting centre role on the offensive line and even hauling in a pair of touchdown passes the last few years.
Not a bad turn of events for a kid from Regina who grew up with lifelong dreams of taking the field for his CFL heroes. “I would be lying to you if I said I always had a very positive mindset; there’s always been that negative thing where ‘I don’t know if I can do it, I don’t know if I can make it’,” Clark said prior to his guest appearance at the recent Kinsmen Celebrity Sports Banquet.
“But I’ve always had good role models pushing me. My parents, meeting my wife, Kayla, she’s pushed me to get better and given me the opportunities to train through the off-season and work with Red Cross. It’s unbelievable to have the support that I have. They’ve always believed me when I didn’t necessarily believe in myself.” The amount of time and effort Clark has put in on-and-off the field hasn’t gone unnoticed by the organization either – through nicks and hurts and even injury, the former Regina Thunder junior standout put his body on the line. Improving the whole way was even more impressive. Then, add on that as a year-round resident of Saskatchewan, Clark has put many hours into his charity work, especially with the Red Cross. He’s spent many an hour on small flights to remote communities for speaking engagements representing the charity and has become a valued spokesman for the organization all over the province.
That’s why when it came to nominating a player for the CFL’s Jake Gaudaur Award for perseverance and dedication this past season, Clark was the man for the Roughriders.
“It’s great... When a team nominates you for something like that, it’s for a reason and it shows that it’s not only about the work you put in on the field, it’s about the work you put in in the off-season, especially being from Saskatchewan and doing what I can to give back this community,” Clark said.
Part of that attitude came to a forefront last season. The 6-foot-3, 310-pounder was blocking for a running back during a mid-season game when he was clipped hard on the elbow. The shot was so bad that it tore a ligament in the joint and would have necessitated off-season Tommy John surgery, had he wanted it. The end result was nine games on the sidelines, but not his last time on the field. Clark worked hard to recover and was able to return for the final two playoff games. Having a chance to play in those contests made the wait worthwhile.
“Being able to play the last couple games, even if they didn’t go the way we wanted to, but to catch up after the injury, it’s something that proved it’s going to be a good off-season,” he said. “It’s not about recovering, it’s about continuing the program I’ve been working with and keep working hard.
“Now the elbow, it feels great, 100 per cent, no issues,” he said, adding that the surgery was unnecessary given his lack of the need to throw. “The range of motion is back, even better than it was before, no shoulders or anything that could have complicated the injury, so it’s good to go.” That means it’ll be all horses forward when it comes to the new CFL season. As a free agent, Clark isn’t completely sure he’ll return to the Riders, but there’s little question where his heart is.
“If you think about the two years previous, we were 8-28 and there’s a big difference from the Eastern Final to packing your bags for the end of the year,” he said. “It’s definitely a step in the right direction, we have a lot of work to do from the off-season and the signings that we have, it’s looking to be a good year... We have a great cast and we continue to add to it and that’s what we’re going to continue to do. “Being local, I definitely want to stay with the Roughriders, we’ll just have to see how things shake out.”
And as things have shaken out, the Saskatchewan Roughriders have agreed to an extension with offensive lineman Dan Clark. Clark will remain with the Riders for his sixth CFL season after originally joining the club as a territorial junior in 2009.