Biography
Monte Clark is an American football player who served as head coach for two National Football League teams: the San Francisco 49ers and the Detroit Lions. He played college football at the University of Southern California.
Clark attended Kingsburg High School, before accepting a scholarship from the University of Southern California. He was a two-year starter and in 1958, he was named a co-captain of the squad, playing on both sides of the line with future Pro Football Hall of Famer Ron Mix. In 1968, he was inducted into the Fresno County Athletic Hall of Fame.
Clark was selected in the fourth round (41st overall) of the 1958 NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers. After three years of playing defense, primarily at defensive tackle, he was traded to the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for a draft choice on September 9, 1962. The Dallas Cowboys converted him into an offensive tackle, playing 14 games (10 starts) on the right side during the 1962 season. On April 29, 1963, he was traded to the Cleveland Browns in exchange for Pro Bowl offensive guard Jim Ray Smith. The Cleveland Browns acquired Clark primarily because of his pass protection skills. However, in the first exhibition game with his new team on August 10, Clark suffered a knee injury which never fully recovered during the course of the campaign, while playing in 8 games.
After Clark announced his retirement, he was hired as the Miami Dolphins' offensive line coach on April 8, 1970, working under their new head coach, Don Shula. Shula hired Clark over the phone without an interview following glowing endorsements from Blanton Collier (Browns Head Coach) and 49ers head coach Dick Nolan. Clark's timing proved excellent when Shula helped transform the moribund franchise into a dynasty. During the final two years of his tenure, Clark served as the team's offensive coordinator. During those six years of success in Miami, Clark was under consideration by teams to become their head coach, including his old team, the Browns in 1975. However, his first head coaching opportunity would come one year later, when his original team, the San Francisco 49ers, hired him on January 13, 1976, making him the league's youngest head coach at the time. After sitting out the 1977 NFL season, Clark found a new challenge when he was hired as head coach of the Detroit Lions on January 11, 1978. Clark again had complete personnel control of a team, and finished with a 7-9 record in his first season.
