Don Clark (American Football) - Coaching

Coaching

In 1950 he became an assistant coach at the Naval Academy under head coach Eddie Erdelatz, then returned to USC for five years as an assistant under Jess Hill; when Hill became USC's athletic director in 1957, Clark succeeded him as head coach on the recommendation of players including Jon Arnett. But USC, along with UCLA, Washington and California, was subjected at that time to Pacific Coast Conference sanctions; widespread displeasure over the issue among the various schools would lead to the reorganization of the conference in 1959. When Clark took over, the university had not recruited players for two years and had no scholarship quarterbacks or receivers.

USC posted a 1-9 record in his first season – their worst mark since 1901 – but improved to 4-5-1 in 1958; Clark recruited talented players such as Marlin and Mike McKeever, and also brought in a number of excellent assistant coaches, including highly popular Marv Goux. The Trojans won their first eight games in 1959 with a team that featured Ron Mix and Willie Wood, sharing the conference title with UCLA and Washington, but were barred from a bowl game due to NCAA sanctions. The 1959 team also had an impressive coaching staff which included John McKay and Al Davis, but after season-ending losses to UCLA and Notre Dame, Clark resigned and was replaced by McKay.