Clinton’s Indy cred
St. Laurence graduate is tearing up rushing records at the University of Indianapolis
While breaking the school record for rushing yards in a game for the second time this season, St. Laurence graduate Toriano Clinton felt like he was in an alternate reality.
“I told my coaches, ‘I’m having so much fun, it feels like a video game,’ ” Clinton said. “I felt like I was in a video game or the star of a major football movie or something.
“I had so much fun. Then to find out that I broke the record again, that was just a blessing.”
Clinton, a junior running back, has been putting up video gamelike numbers all season long for the University of Indianapolis, an NCAA Division II program. He broke a D-II national record Oct. 2 when he ran for 197 yards in one quarter against Southwest Baptist.
His latest record-setting performance came Oct. 9 when he ran for 287 yards and four touchdowns on 20 carries against McKendree. He broke his own school record of 270 yards, set four weeks earlier against Hillsdale.
“I never know about these records right away,” Clinton said. “I don’t look for it. If you asked me my stats the next day, I probably wouldn’t know. My coach will be like, ‘Congratulations.’ And I’ll be like, ‘What are you talking about?’ ”
After his first record-breaking performance against Hillsdale, it was Clinton’s father who delivered the big news.
“My dad told me after the game but I didn’t believe him because I know he sits there and calculates numbers himself,” Clinton said. “I didn’t know if he had the exact, official numbers.
“I was like, ‘No way.’ It didn’t feel like it. I was just playing ball.”
The national record, which he established by piling up 197 yards on just 10 carries against Southwest Baptist, was especially meaningful for Clinton.
“I was ecstatic,” he said. “I’ve always humbly done my stuff behind closed doors. You’ve been taught that if you do the right things, you’ll get rewarded. It’s sometimes hard to see it that way. You have people who are more vocal and outward about their success and they know how to bring that audience to them.
“Me, I’m pretty quiet and I don’t like major attention, but it feels good to see that what I’m doing is not going unnoticed.”
Indianapolis coach Chris Keevers called Clinton a “special athlete.”
“He’s been doing a great job,” Keevers said. “He’s getting his opportunity and making the most of it. He’s a great kid. He’s a 3.4 GPA student. He’s one of those guys who always has a smile on his face. He’s just a joy to be around.”
For the season, Clinton has led the Greyhounds (4-3) by rushing for 1,287 yards and 14 TDs on 178
carries.
Clinton has been breaking records for Indianapolis since his freshman season in 2018, when he averaged a school-record 37.9 yards per kickoff return. He finished with 569 yards and three TDs on kick returns, in addition to 898
yards rushing and 10 TDs.
The 5-foot-9, 194-pound Clinton enjoys proving people wrong who say he’s not big enough.
“I pride myself on speed,” he said. “I love speed. I love everything about it. I feel like the more speed you have, the more power you have. A lot of people say, ‘You need to be this height, you need to be this weight.’
“But my height and weight don’t determine my spirit. It doesn’t mean I can’t do the things you’re doing. I like to defeat the odds. You’re not going to bench mark me and tell me what I can do. I’m going to show you what I can do.”