Steve Clarkson
Encyclopedia
Steve Clarkson is an American football
coach
. He is considered one of the premier quarterback
coaches. Clarkson has tutored Ben Roethlisberger
, Matt Leinart
, J. P. Losman, Gino Torretta
, Matt Barkley
, and Jimmy Clausen
, among others.
Clarkson is a 1979 graduate of Woodrow Wilson High School in Los Angeles, CA, where he led the Mighty Mules to three Los Angeles City Championships with a 39-1 record during three seasons. Clarkson was named to the All-City teams during his junior and senior seasons, and was the All-City Player of the Year in 1978 after leading the state in passing yards and total offense. He later was a three-year starter
for coach Jack Elway
at San José State University
, where he holds several passing records and was named to the Academic All-American teams in 1981 and 1982.
After going undrafted in the 1983 NFL Draft
, Clarkson played a season for the Denver Broncos
and two seasons for the Canadian Football League
's Saskatchewan Roughriders
. He then became a district manager for a steakhouse
chain, before turning to football coaching. He founded “Air 7”, a quarterback academy, that offers tutoring to high school players. Clarkson has since coached more than 20 Division I-A quarterback starters and, including other positions, Air 7 has produced about 80 I-A starters. His organization is now called Steve Clarkson Dreammaker.
Recently, Clarkson's newest protege, a 13-year old from Delaware named David Sills
verbally committed to USC (he cannot be offered a scholarship legally, for it will violate NCAA regulations).
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...
coach
Coach (sport)
In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.-Staff:...
. He is considered one of the premier quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
coaches. Clarkson has tutored Ben Roethlisberger
Ben Roethlisberger
Benjamin Todd "Ben" Roethlisberger , nicknamed Big Ben, is an American football quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Steelers in the first round in the 2004 NFL Draft...
, Matt Leinart
Matt Leinart
Matthew Stephen Leinart , is an American professional football quarterback for the Houston Texans of the National Football League...
, J. P. Losman, Gino Torretta
Gino Torretta
Gino Louis Torretta is a Heisman Trophy winner who played quarterback for several teams in the National Football League from 1993 to 1997....
, Matt Barkley
Matt Barkley
Matt Barkley is an American football quarterback and student athlete at the University of Southern California, playing for the Trojans football team. As a high school player, Barkley was named 2007 football Gatorade National Player of the Year, and then the 2007 Gatorade national male athlete of...
, and Jimmy Clausen
Jimmy Clausen
James Richard "Jimmy" Clausen is an American football quarterback for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Panthers in the second round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He played college football at Notre Dame.-High school career:Clausen had an outstanding prep career...
, among others.
Clarkson is a 1979 graduate of Woodrow Wilson High School in Los Angeles, CA, where he led the Mighty Mules to three Los Angeles City Championships with a 39-1 record during three seasons. Clarkson was named to the All-City teams during his junior and senior seasons, and was the All-City Player of the Year in 1978 after leading the state in passing yards and total offense. He later was a three-year starter
Starting lineup
A starting lineup in sports is an official list of the set of players who will actively participate in the event when the game begins. The players in the starting lineup are commonly referred to as starters, whereas the others are substitutes or bench players.The starters are commonly the best...
for coach Jack Elway
Jack Elway
John Albert "Jack" Elway, Sr. was an American football player and head coach; he was the father of John Elway, a Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback.-Early life:...
at San José State University
San José State University
San Jose State University is a public university located in San Jose, California, United States...
, where he holds several passing records and was named to the Academic All-American teams in 1981 and 1982.
After going undrafted in the 1983 NFL Draft
1983 NFL Draft
The 1983 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 26–27, 1983...
, Clarkson played a season for the Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
and two seasons for the Canadian Football League
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
's Saskatchewan Roughriders
Saskatchewan Roughriders
The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a Canadian Football League team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. They were founded in 1910. They play their home games at 2940 10th Avenue in Regina, which has been the team's home base for its entire history, even prior to the construction of Mosaic Stadium at Taylor...
. He then became a district manager for a steakhouse
Steakhouse
A steakhouse is a restaurant that specializes in beef steaks. The same type of restaurant is also known as a chophouse.The steakhouse started in the USA in the late 19th century as a development of traditional inns and bars....
chain, before turning to football coaching. He founded “Air 7”, a quarterback academy, that offers tutoring to high school players. Clarkson has since coached more than 20 Division I-A quarterback starters and, including other positions, Air 7 has produced about 80 I-A starters. His organization is now called Steve Clarkson Dreammaker.
Recently, Clarkson's newest protege, a 13-year old from Delaware named David Sills
David Sills (American football)
David Sills V is a youth football quarterback, who at age thirteen, in 2010, has already been recruited by USC Trojans football head coach Lane Kiffin. Since the age of eleven he has been recruited by major college football programs such as UCLA...
verbally committed to USC (he cannot be offered a scholarship legally, for it will violate NCAA regulations).