Professional Football Player. He played both the wide receiver and tight end positions for the National Football League's Cleveland Browns and Dallas Cowboys during an eleven year career (1957-1967). Born Franklin Delano Clarke, he played football collegiately at the University of Colorado at Boulder, where he was the first African-American varsity football player. In 1955, he was honorable mention All-Big 7 performer while at Colorado. He was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the fifth round of the 1956 NFL Draft and went on to play for the Browns for three seasons before being left unprotected in the 1960 NFL Expansion Draft. He was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the expansion draft and went on to play for them for next eight years before retiring after the 1967 season. During his stay with the Cowboys, he had 281 catches for 5,214 yards and 51 touchdowns. He also was the NFL's receiving touchdowns leader in 1962 (with 14) and an All-Pro in 1964. His last game was the famous 1967 NFL Championship Game, now known as the "Ice Bowl", where his Cowboys lost to the Green Bay Packers in dramatic fashion. After retiring, he became the first black sports TV anchor in Dallas, Texas and the first black NFL analyst at CBS. In 2008, he was inducted into the Colorado Athletic Hall of Fame.
Professional Football Player. He played both the wide receiver and tight end positions for the National Football League's Cleveland Browns and Dallas Cowboys during an eleven year career (1957-1967). Born Franklin Delano Clarke, he played football collegiately at the University of Colorado at Boulder, where he was the first African-American varsity football player. In 1955, he was honorable mention All-Big 7 performer while at Colorado. He was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the fifth round of the 1956 NFL Draft and went on to play for the Browns for three seasons before being left unprotected in the 1960 NFL Expansion Draft. He was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the expansion draft and went on to play for them for next eight years before retiring after the 1967 season. During his stay with the Cowboys, he had 281 catches for 5,214 yards and 51 touchdowns. He also was the NFL's receiving touchdowns leader in 1962 (with 14) and an All-Pro in 1964. His last game was the famous 1967 NFL Championship Game, now known as the "Ice Bowl", where his Cowboys lost to the Green Bay Packers in dramatic fashion. After retiring, he became the first black sports TV anchor in Dallas, Texas and the first black NFL analyst at CBS. In 2008, he was inducted into the Colorado Athletic Hall of Fame.
Bio by: Mr. Badger Hawkeye
Family Members
Advertisement
See more Clarke memorials in:
Explore more
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
