Gregory Jay Clark (April 7, 1972 – July 7, 2021)[1] was an American professional football player who was a tight end for the San Francisco 49ers in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the 49ers in the third round of the 1997 NFL draft.[2][3]
| Date of birth | April 7, 1972 |
|---|---|
| Place of birth | Bountiful, Utah, U.S. |
| Date of death | July 7, 2021 (aged 49) |
| Place of death | Danville, California, U.S. |
| Career information | |
| Position(s) | Tight end |
| Height | 6 ft 5 in (196 cm) |
| Weight | 255 lb (116 kg) |
| US college | Stanford |
| NFL draft | 1997 / round: 3 / Pick 77 |
| Career history | |
| As player | |
| 1997–2001 | San Francisco 49ers |
| Career stats | |
| |
Career
editA 6'5", 255-lb. tight end from Stanford University, Clark played in 5 National Football League seasons and his entire career with the 49ers from 1997 to 2001. He was widely recognized as one of the premier blocking tight ends in the NFL. Clark was recruited to Stanford University as a receiving tight end by Bill Walsh after being named a consensus First-team All-American from Ricks College. While at Stanford, Clark credited much of his development as a blocker to his coach Pat Morris. He received both athletic and academic honors while in college. He finished his professional career with 92 receptions, 909 yards receiving, and 4 touchdowns during the regular season. In addition, he caught two touchdowns in the 1998-99 playoff game against the Green Bay Packers prior to Terrell Owens's last second catch from Steve Young to defeat the Packers. Clark was named to the 1999 USA Today All-Joe Team. Injuries forced him into early retirement, in 2001.
Death
editClark died from a self inflicted gunshot on July 7, 2021. He had experienced "chronic traumatic encephalopathy-like" symptoms prior to his suicide, later revealed in March 2022 to be CTE Stage III.[4][5] He was one of at least 345 NFL players to be diagnosed after death with this disease, which is caused by repeated hits to the head.[6][7]
References
edit- ^ "Gregory Clark Obituary (1972-2021)". Deseret News – via Legacy.com.
- ^ Ostler, Scott (July 10, 2021). "Greg Clark, former 49ers' tight end, dies unexpectedly". San Francisco Chronicle.
- ^ "1997 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
- ^ Mauch, Ally (July 10, 2021). "Former NFL Player Greg Clark Dies Unexpectedly at 49: 'A Phenomenal Human Being'". People.
- ^ Peter, Josh (April 22, 2021). "Former NFL player Greg Clark had CTE when he killed himself: 'Got to find better ways to help'". USA Today.
- ^ "The driving force behind Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE)". Concussion Legacy Foundation. Archived from the original on July 2, 2023. Retrieved July 2, 2023.
- ^ Ken Belson and Benjamin Mueller (June 20, 2023). "Collective Force of Head Hits, Not Just the Number of Them, Increases Odds of C.T.E. The largest study of chronic traumatic encephalopathy to date found that the cumulative force of head hits absorbed by players in their careers is the best predictor of future brain disease". The New York Times. Retrieved July 2, 2023.
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