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Tom Clark (American football)

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Tom Clark
Current position
TitleOffensive coordinator
TeamShepherd
ConferencePSAC
Biographical details
BornWashington, D.C., U.S.
Alma materMaryland (1986) (BS)
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1983–1984St. John's College HS (DC) (assistant)
1985–1986Catholic University (DB)
1987–1988Colorado (DB)
1989–1993Bishop McNamara HS (MD)
1994–2000Catholic University
2001–2003William & Mary (DC)
2004–2005Catholic University
2006–2011Liberty (DC)
2012–2014William & Mary (DB)
2015–2021VMI (DC)
2022Hampden–Sydney (AHC/D)
2023–presentShepherd (OC)
Head coaching record
Overall58–32–1 (college)
Tournaments0–3 (NCAA D-III playoffs)
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
1 ODAC (1999)

Tom Clark is an American college football coach. He is the offensive coordinator for Shepherd University, a position he has held since 2023. Clark served for nine non-consecutive seasons as the head football coach at Catholic University of America, where he compiled a 58–32–1 record and a .643 winning percentage. Clark was the defensive coordinator at the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) from 2015 to 2021.

Early life

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Clark was born and raised in Silver Spring, Maryland. He attended the University of Maryland, College Park, where he graduated in 1986 with a bachelor's degree in kinesiology. His first coaching position was as the assistant coach at St. John's College High School in Washington, D.C. from 1983 to 1984.[1]

Coaching career

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Clark's first college coaching experience was as the secondary coach for the football team at Catholic from 1985 to 1986. He then moved on to Colorado, where he served in the same capacity for the 1987 and 1988 seasons. He returned to the Washington metropolitan area to serve as athletic director and head football coach at Bishop McNamara High School in Forestville, Maryland from 1988 to 1994.[1]

In 1994, Clark returned to Catholic to take the head coaching position.[2] He remained there for seven seasons and compiled a record of 56–14–1 and a 0.792 winning percentage. Each year from 1997 to 1999, Catholic advanced to the Division III playoffs before being eliminated. In 1999, the team won the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) championship with a 9–2 record.[1] It was the first year that Catholic was eligible for the ODAC title as a new member.[3]

From 2001 to 2003, Clark served as the defensive coordinator for William & Mary. The Tribe won a share of the Atlantic 10 Conference championship in his first year.[1] In 2004, Clark returned to Catholic again as head coach. He stayed for two seasons, but was less successful, compiling a 2–18 record.[1][3][4]

In 2006, Clark became the defensive coordinator for Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia. He installed a 3–4 defense, which had previously never been used at Liberty. During that first season, the Liberty Flames ranked 12th nationally in scoring defense, allowing 15.64 points per game, and 36th in total defense, allowing a total of 306.0 yards per game.[1]

He returned to Williamsburg in 2012 to serve as the Tribe's defensive backs coach.[5]

After three seasons with the Tribe, Clark was hired by Scott Wachenheim as the defensive coordinator of the Virginia Military Institute. In addition to being a defensive coordinator, Clark will also handle the defensive backs and secondary.[6]

After leading the Keydets' defense for eights seasons, including helping guide VMI to a Southern Conference championship and FCS playoff berth in the spring season of 2021, Clark resigned in February 2022.[7] In March 2022, Clark was hired as the assistant head football coach at Hampden–Sydney College in Hampden Sydney, Virginia. The move reunited Clark with long-time friend Marty Favret, whom he coached with at Catholic University.[8]

Head coaching record

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College

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Year Team Overall Conference Standing Bowl/playoffs
Catholic University Cardinals (NCAA Division III independent) (1994–1998)
1994 Catholic University 8–2
1995 Catholic University 6–2–1
1996 Catholic University 7–2
1997 Catholic University 10–1 L NCAA Division III First Round
1998 Catholic University 10–1 L NCAA Division III First Round
Catholic University Cardinals (Old Dominion Athletic Conference) (1999–2000)
1999 Catholic University 9–2 6–0 1st L NCAA Division III First Round
2000 Catholic University 6–4 4–2 3rd
Catholic University Cardinals (Old Dominion Athletic Conference) (2004–2005)
2004 Catholic University 0–10 0–6 7th
2005 Catholic University 2–8 1–5 T–5th
Catholic University: 58–32–1 11–13
Total: 58–32–1
      National championship         Conference title         Conference division title or championship game berth

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f "Coach Detail: Tom Clark". Liberty University. Retrieved February 21, 2009.
  2. ^ Wisnia, Saul (February 11, 1994). "Tragedy follows triumph for Clark". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
  3. ^ a b Past Standings and All-Conference Squads[permanent dead link], 2007 ODAC Football Guide, Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC), 2007, retrieved February 13, 2009.
  4. ^ "Clark Decides To Step Aside as Coach at Catholic". The Washington Post. December 21, 2005. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
  5. ^ "Tom Clark Bio". Athletics at William & Mary. Retrieved October 31, 2012.
  6. ^ "Tom Clark Bio". VMIKeydets.com. Retrieved March 27, 2015.
  7. ^ Brice, John (February 14, 2022). "Sources: Clark resigns as VMI defensive coordinator". footballscoop.com. Football Scoop. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
  8. ^ Brice, John (March 8, 2022). "Sources: Hampden-Sydney poised to add former VMI stalwart Tom Clark in top defensive post". footballscoop.com. Football Scoop. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
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