Joe on Bruce Clark - I had never read or heard this before

[john4psu]

I'm going through the process of going through boxes of sports memorabilia and junk that I've accumulated for the past 45 years, and I came across this article.

Check out the last paragraph. I don't recall hearing Joe say that about Bruce Clark but evidently he did. Pretty strong stuff considering how great Mike Reid was.

 

[Nitt1300]

I think he may still hold the all time bench press record at PSU

 

[psuro]

Bruce and his Teans Am are pleased.

 

[GregInPitt]

Great athlete, and stronger than athletes of his generation. I played basketball with him sometimes on Sunday evenings in Rec., and I'm still walking because he was genuinely a great guy who took it easy on skinny kids.....

Just a great guy, and I'm rooting for his son to make a big impact during his tenure at PSU!!

 

[HazletonLion]

In a newspaper article from the same era, the article mentioned the bench press weights of Clark & Millen , a Nebraska paper with a skeptical response said " that impressive, even for these parts".
They found out in real time.

 

[Rip_E_2_Joe_PA]

Bruce Clark was in a league by himself. Mike Reid as well. They both lifted their teammates to victories on their backs. They took over games that were lost and flipped the outcomes of games,

 

[Big 0]

It’s too bad he sustained that knee injury his senior year. It happened right in front of me. I just remember exclaiming “Oh No!” He was never quite the same after that. Had he not had that knee injury, when people talk about the Bruce in the Pro Football HOF, they wouldn’t be thinking Smith, but Clark. He was the most dominant defensive player I have even seen in CFB.

 

[ACGT]

I'm going through the process of going through boxes of sports memorabilia and junk that I've accumulated for the past 45 years, and I came across this article.

Check out the last paragraph. I don't recall hearing Joe say that about Bruce Clark but evidently he did. Pretty strong stuff considering how great Mike Reid was.

I was at the game when Clark ran "through" the opposing quarterback. I think it was Rutgers and the QB bounced like a pinball. Was it a safety and the QB left the game? Someone with a better memory can correct if I am mis-remembering. His bench was 495 or maybe even 500 if I recall correctly.

 

[demlion]

I was at the game when Clark ran "through" the opposing quarterback. I think it was Rutgers and the QB bounced like a pinball. Was it a safety and the QB left the game? Someone with a better memory can correct if I am mis-remembering. His bench was 495 or maybe even 500 if I recall correctly.

I recall a Rutgers game where he crushed their QB such that it was amazing that he got up. He stood there, then began a wobbly walk toward the PENN STATE bench. His teammates rescued him and got the trainers over there.

 

[Big 0]

I was at the game when Clark ran "through" the opposing quarterback. I think it was Rutgers and the QB bounced like a pinball. Was it a safety and the QB left the game? Someone with a better memory can correct if I am mis-remembering. His bench was 495 or maybe even 500 if I recall correctly.

Clark hit him so hard I believe he knocked him backwards out of the end zone, IIRC.

 

[Bob78]

It’s too bad he sustained that knee injury his senior year. It happened right in front of me. I just remember exclaiming “Oh No!” He was never quite the same after that. Had he not had that knee injury, when people talk about the Bruce in the Pro Football HOF, they wouldn’t be thinking Smith, but Clark. He was the most dominant defensive player I have even seen in CFB.

When Clark was with the Saints, he took up a lot of energy on the opponents' OL and helped Ricky Jackson of the Saints become a perennial All-Pro and an NFL HOFer. Clark made a Pro Bowl or two, and had some good NFL seasons. But he was a little more of a role player in the NFL by then.

When he and Millen were dominating the LOS in '77 and '78, other teams had to basically double one of them and run to that side to have much hope of having a run game. One-on-one, they just tore it up and the opponent could not run to that side. In '77, with Sidler in the middle at NG, the other OL had their hands full all over the LOS. Sidler was an AA, but got less notice somehow than Millen and Clark, who were sophs and at new positions for them on the DL. But, they were that dominant in most every game, and Sidler just ate up the middle. Petruccio in '78 was very good, but not as dominant as Sidler had been.
Having lived through both teams up close and personal, I still think '77 was a touch better all around than '78. Sidler, Shuler at TE, and Cefalo at WR were better than their replacements the following season. Just imo. Great, great seasons, great, great players.

 

[Bob78]

I was at the game when Clark ran "through" the opposing quarterback. I think it was Rutgers and the QB bounced like a pinball. Was it a safety and the QB left the game? Someone with a better memory can correct if I am mis-remembering. His bench was 495 or maybe even 500 if I recall correctly.

Poor Ed McMichael of Rutgres. In '78, I think.
Clark hit him at full speed, McMichael was actually parallel to the ground for a split second, completely off the ground by about a foot or so, and landed about 4 or so feet back from where he started. Safety. Targeting foul today. Maybe the hardest hit I've ever seen in person. Can't imagine one harder.

Ray Scott: "Oooo! What a hit!"

Clark and Millen both benched over 500 at their peaks in college.

 

[Bob78]

Clark hit him so hard I believe he knocked him backwards out of the end zone, IIRC.

Not quite out of the end zone, but he was deep enough in the end zone and landed about a yard or so from where he started. He did knock him completely off his feet.

Incredible hit when you think about how hard you have to hit someone to knock them off their feet and parallel to the ground for a split second.

 

[Blue and White Blood]

I was at the game when Clark ran "through" the opposing quarterback. I think it was Rutgers and the QB bounced like a pinball. Was it a safety and the QB left the game? Someone with a better memory can correct if I am mis-remembering. His bench was 495 or maybe even 500 if I recall correctly.

Yes, it was the Rutgers QB in the south end zone. It was such a devastating tackle that planted the QB into the ground by Clark, even now when it rains there’s still a slight birdbath in that spot.

 

[seminnylion]

I was sitting in the south end seats and remember the qb being decleated and parallel to the ground suspended in mid air

 

[Thorndike2012]

Bruce dated a tall, thin blonde who lived at Laurel Glen Apartments about four doors down from me. She was built like a super model, with a remarkable 'butter face.' That girl hit every single branch of the ugly tree on the way to the ground.

He would pull up in his Trans Am in a full length fur coat and 'pimp hat' with a blue feather. Platform shoes, bling on both hands and 6/8 gold necklaces. I saw him regularly and would shout, "Hey, Bruce!" He always replied, "Sup?"

 

[sluggo72]

Poor Ed McMichael of Rutgres. In '78, I think.
Clark hit him at full speed, McMichael was actually parallel to the ground for a split second, completely off the ground by about a foot or so, and landed about 4 or so feet back from where he started. Safety. Targeting foul today. Maybe the hardest hit I've ever seen in person. Can't imagine one harder.

Ray Scott: "Oooo! What a hit!"

Clark and Millen both benched over 500 at their peaks in college.

Bob- with all due respect, and not that it matters, where are you getting these bench press numbers?? No doubt they both were strong dudes but at the time, Dan Riley was our strength coach, and he didn’t max bench press and actually coached against it
Dan used nautilus machines and actually removed the numbers on the plates and replaced them with letters. He figured nobody was going to go around saying they benched M

 

[Big 0]

I just remember the QB leaving his feet in the end zone area, a true decleater.

 

[royboy]

If I recall, Clark did the pole vault for his high school track team; he wasn't full sized at the time, but you don't see too many 230# pole vaulters. Amazing combination of natural strength and coordination.

**additionally, I had forgotten some details of his pro career (from wiki)
The Green Bay Packers selected Clark in the first round (fourth pick overall) of the 1980 NFL Draft, but he refused to play for them, and instead joined the Toronto Argonauts of the CFL. After two years in Canada, he played for the NFL's New Orleans Saints for seven seasons from 1982 to 1988, and then played for the Kansas City Chiefs in 1989, his final NFL season.

He later played a single season for the World League of American Football's Barcelona Dragons. Clark was drafted in the first round of the supplemental draft by the Barcelona Dragons in 1991. His experience and leadership were key to the Dragons successful first season. Clark started all ten games and was co-leader in sacks with seven that season.

 

[Bob78]

Bob- with all due respect, and not that it matters, where are you getting these bench press numbers?? No doubt they both were strong dudes but at the time, Dan Riley was our strength coach, and he didn’t max bench press and actually coached against it
Dan used nautilus machines and actually removed the numbers on the plates and replaced them with letters. He figured nobody was going to go around saying they benched M

Clark was a fraternity brother, and Millen came around fairly often to hang out and tell stories. I recall the other players and those two talking about it when they passed 500#. I don't recall about Riley taking the numbers off the plates. My guess is that although they may have stressed not maxing out, they still allowed the guys the chance to do what they could do. (Saquon did not always squat his max. as part of his workout, I'd guess, but he maxed out at times). But, that was a few hundred years ago, so....

If I run into Clark at some point around town I'll ask him. He'll own it either way.

I also recall the inventor of the Nautilus machines coming to PSU and meeting with the team and Riley. From what I recall, he was especially interested in seeing Millen and Clark lift on 'his' machines.

Clark's and Millen's exploits in practice and in games were often the source of the many stories that were told. I remember hearing about what may have been the first time someone blew up Clark on the practice field... I think it was Frank Case, another DT. The story was that in a one-on-one blocking drill, Case got the leverage advantage and drove Clark back into the shrubs by the fence where the DL was going through drills. Lots of ooos and ahhhs about that. Don't recall hearing about it happening again after that.

 

[KnightWhoSaysNit]

I just remember the QB leaving his feet in the end zone area, a true decleater.

That wasn't even the worst hit that kid took that day. Earlier, on the same end of the field, there was a pass play with considerable scrambling to avoid the rush. Clark eventually caught him, picked him up, and slammed him to the turf. It was a vicious personal fowl that left the QB laying on the field hurt. It seemed at the time that Clark was frustrated by having to run around so much, so he made him pay.

After the play Clark was pulled. As he walked to the bench I remember Paterno looking at him and just shaking his head back and forth.

 

[mrtailgate]

Bruce dated a tall, thin blonde who lived at Laurel Glen Apartments about four doors down from me. She was built like a super model, with a remarkable 'butter face.' That girl hit every single branch of the ugly tree on the way to the ground.

He would pull up in his Trans Am in a full length fur coat and 'pimp hat' with a blue feather. Platform shoes, bling on both hands and 6/8 gold necklaces. I saw him regularly and would shout, "Hey, Bruce!" He always replied, "Sup?"

I’ve told this story before. My roommate started hitting that as well. Didn’t know who her squeeze was. I remember the car as well. If memory serves me correct, didn’t it have a DEEFENSE license plate or something to that effect.

 

[Thorndike2012]

If I remember correctly, it was just 'DEEEEEEEE'

 

[Obliviax]

If I recall, Clark did the pole vault for his high school track team; he wasn't full sized at the time, but you don't see too many 230# pole vaulters. Amazing combination of natural strength and coordination.

**additionally, I had forgotten some details of his pro career (from wiki)
The Green Bay Packers selected Clark in the first round (fourth pick overall) of the 1980 NFL Draft, but he refused to play for them, and instead joined the Toronto Argonauts of the CFL. After two years in Canada, he played for the NFL's New Orleans Saints for seven seasons from 1982 to 1988, and then played for the Kansas City Chiefs in 1989, his final NFL season.

He later played a single season for the World League of American Football's Barcelona Dragons. Clark was drafted in the first round of the supplemental draft by the Barcelona Dragons in 1991. His experience and leadership were key to the Dragons successful first season. Clark started all ten games and was co-leader in sacks with seven that season.

Thats right....was good too. IIRC, he had to heavily tape the pole so it wouldn't break.

 

[WWJDLion]

I agree with Joe's assessment....Bruce Clark played on a much higher level than everyone else around him - and considering a guy named Millen played beside him, that is saying a lot. Clark was not a big man by today's football standards, but he was so strong and athletic. The one NFL player who reminds me of Clark is Aaron Donald.

Check out the last paragraph. I don't recall hearing Joe say that about Bruce Clark but evidently he did. Pretty strong stuff considering how great Mike Reid was.

[/QUOTE]

 

[drew16]

There was never fur coats, pimp hats, bling., fancy shoes.Total nonsense.

An attractive blonde student, the daughter of two Penn Staters, the father a football letterman, was his girlfriend for quite a while. And, he did have a used car after a few years.

 

[PSUPride1]

Clark was a fraternity brother, and Millen came around fairly often to hang out and tell stories. I recall the other players and those two talking about it when they passed 500#. I don't recall about Riley taking the numbers off the plates. My guess is that although they may have stressed not maxing out, they still allowed the guys the chance to do what they could do. (Saquon did not always squat his max. as part of his workout, I'd guess, but he maxed out at times). But, that was a few hundred years ago, so....

If I run into Clark at some point around town I'll ask him. He'll own it either way.

I also recall the inventor of the Nautilus machines coming to PSU and meeting with the team and Riley. From what I recall, he was especially interested in seeing Millen and Clark lift on 'his' machines.

Clark's and Millen's exploits in practice and in games were often the source of the many stories that were told. I remember hearing about what may have been the first time someone blew up Clark on the practice field... I think it was Frank Case, another DT. The story was that in a one-on-one blocking drill, Case got the leverage advantage and drove Clark back into the shrubs by the fence where the DL was going through drills. Lots of ooos and ahhhs about that. Don't recall hearing about it happening again after that.

I spent a lot of time with Frank at the Fiesta Bowl last year. He took me to a lettermen gathering and Spider was there too. Frank was the defensive mvp of the 81 Fiesta Bowl. He told me a lot of good stories. Great guy, looks like he could still play, and owned some of his own troubles at Penn State. Still a little bit of a strange dude, however.

 

[SR108]

Thats right....was good too. IIRC, he had to heavily tape the pole so it wouldn't break.

Did 13.5 if I remember correctly. Pretty good for someone that massive.

 

[doublehaul]

Two of my very best friends argue over this all the time in good fun. We met Bruce at a get together a few years back and my friend( who votes for Bruce), was all smiles. Both were outstanding players and I was fortunate to see both play in person.