  All-Century Team home | Bulletin Board | Complete Nominees List | Plug-ins info | TBO Special Reports homepage
 No. 53 Michael Clemons
Michael Clemons is 5-foot-6 on the playing field and larger than life off the field. They know him in Toronto as "Pinball'' for the way he bounces off tacklers, stays on his feet and turns nothing into something. They know him by his civic responsibility and how he turns opportunity into success. "He's an exciting player and never ceases to amaze you with what he can do,'' said Bob Nicholson, president of the Toronto Argonauts. "Off the field he's even more amazing by what he gives back. I have never seen anyone put so much time and energy into the community. "It is hard to believe someone can be so enthusiastic and so giving. What I say about him is not even something I can say about my personal friends."" Clemons is a national board member of Athletes in Action, works with Special Olympics, Big Brothers, Shining Example (honor students), and MAD (Making a Difference). Those are the major ones. Along the way, and now in his 11th year with Toronto and the Canadian Football League, Clemons has a built a legend that grows with each run and catch. No one in football has accumulated more career yardage - 24,462. Walter Payton is the NFL leader with 21,803 yards in 13 seasons. No one else has accumulated 5,000 yards in four categories - rushing, receiving, punt returns and kickoff returns. He has played on three Grey Cup championship teams - two with quarterback Doug Flutie in 1996 and 1997 - earned the CFL MVP in 1990 and is a five-time All-Star. Twice he has had 100-plus receiving seasons. None of it has been on his own. A Christian with a strong faith, he praises God for the talent and where the Lord has taken him. It could have been Kansas City. He was drafted in the eighth round after a record-setting career at William & Mary and returned punts for the Chiefs in 1987. In 1988, he made it as far as the training camp with the Tampa Bay Bucs. It could have been Dunedin, class of 1983, where he was all-state in football and soccer and earned the Principal's Award for academic achievement and citizenship. It could have been anywhere because he says he wants to give back what he has so generously received. "The reputation I have earned is of God and not of Mike. I have been put in a place to be a witness and share the Good News.'' At one time, that look an awful lot like Pinellas County. His mother, Anna Bryant, has worked for the City of Dunedin for 31 years, he built a home only miles away and seemed to be settled. With 3,300 square feet and a pool, it was everything he ever wanted. He was raised in a apartment, which was about the size of the living room in his new home. He was blessed, he said, but now with two young girls and a growing marketing company servicing the cable industry, he sought permanence for his wife and family, moved to Canada and has built a home just about the size of the one he sold in Florida. Listen closely and you can almost hear the Pinball, bouncing as he talks. "There are not too many 34-year-old running backs,'' he says. "If I stop playing this is where I will live. I love Florida. That's home. But the people have treated me so well up here.'' Up next, No. 52: Hal McRae, a native of Avon Park who attended Sebring Douglas High, becomes one of the top designated hitters in baseball history with the Kansas City Royals.
|
