Boobie Clark
Encyclopedia
Charles Lee "Boobie" Clark (November 8, 1950October 25, 1988) was a professional American football
running back
who played in the National Football League
for eight seasons and was named the UPI AFL-AFC Rookie of the Year
for 1973.
and was a athletic standout at Stanton High School
, where the nickname "Boobie" originated. He played tight end
in high school and at Bethune-Cookman College
.
and became a fullback. Despite inexperience at the position, he was named Rookie of the Year in 1973. That same year, Clark was involved in an on-field incident where he struck Dale Hackbart
of the Denver Broncos with a right forearm to the back of Hackbart's head and neck after the play was finished. Hackbart filed a lawsuit and the case eventually went to trial as an intentional tort
, specifically battery (tort)
. Clark testified that he was frustrated because his team was losing and that he intentionally hit Hackbart due to his frustration. The case went as far as the United States Court of Appeals (10th Circuit)
in 1979.
Clark played for Cincinnati from 1973–1978, where he rushed for 2,978 yards and 25 touchdowns. He also caught 151 passes for 1,139 yards and two touchdowns. He was traded to the Houston Oilers
where he played little from 1979–1980. He retired before the 1981 season started.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
running back
Running back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
who played in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
for eight seasons and was named the UPI AFL-AFC Rookie of the Year
UPI AFL-AFC Rookie of the Year
From 1955 to 1996, the United Press International gave two annual Rookie of the Year awards in American football. One was given to the rookie of the year in the old National Football League , most of whose teams in 1970 became the National Football Conference of the new NFL...
for 1973.
Early years
Clark was born in Jacksonville, FloridaJacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
and was a athletic standout at Stanton High School
Stanton College Preparatory School
Stanton College Preparatory School is an academically renowned American high school located in Jacksonville, Florida, whose history dates to the 1860s, when it was begun as an elementary school serving the African-American population under the then-segregated education system. It now serves...
, where the nickname "Boobie" originated. He played tight end
Tight end
The tight end is a position in American football on the offense. The tight end is often seen as a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like offensive linemen, they are usually lined up on the offensive line and are large enough to be...
in high school and at Bethune-Cookman College
Bethune-Cookman College
Bethune-Cookman University or B-CU is a private historically black university in Daytona Beach, Florida.- History :Mary McLeod Bethune founded the Daytona Educational and Industrial Training School in 1904...
.
Pro football
He was drafted in the 12th round by the the Cincinnati BengalsCincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL...
and became a fullback. Despite inexperience at the position, he was named Rookie of the Year in 1973. That same year, Clark was involved in an on-field incident where he struck Dale Hackbart
Dale Hackbart
Dale Leonard Hackbart is a former American football defensive back who played twelve seasons in the National Football League for the Green Bay Packers, Washington Redskins, Minnesota Vikings, St. Louis Cardinals, and Denver Broncos from 1960 to 1973...
of the Denver Broncos with a right forearm to the back of Hackbart's head and neck after the play was finished. Hackbart filed a lawsuit and the case eventually went to trial as an intentional tort
Intentional tort
An intentional tort is a category of torts that describes a civil wrong resulting from an intentional act on the part of the tortfeasor. The term negligence, on the other hand, pertains to a tort that simply results from the failure of the tortfeasor to take sufficient care in fulfilling a duty...
, specifically battery (tort)
Battery (tort)
At common law, battery is the tort of intentionally and voluntarily bringing about an unconsented harmful or offensive contact with a person or to something closely associated with them . Unlike assault, battery involves an actual contact...
. Clark testified that he was frustrated because his team was losing and that he intentionally hit Hackbart due to his frustration. The case went as far as the United States Court of Appeals (10th Circuit)
United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts:* District of Colorado* District of Kansas...
in 1979.
Clark played for Cincinnati from 1973–1978, where he rushed for 2,978 yards and 25 touchdowns. He also caught 151 passes for 1,139 yards and two touchdowns. He was traded to the Houston Oilers
History of the Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are the professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. They are members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Previously known as the Houston Oilers, the then-Houston, Texas, team began play in 1960 as a...
where he played little from 1979–1980. He retired before the 1981 season started.