Danny Clark life and biography

Danny Clark, IV is an American football linebacker for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the seventh round of the 2000 NFL Draft. He played college football at Illinois.

NFL CAREER

– Clark returns for a second stint with the Saints, having played a key special teams role on the 2006 NFC South Division champion team. The productive and versatile veteran has played in 154 regular season games with 93 starts since entering the NFL in 2000, recording 570 tackles with seven sacks, two interceptions, 18 pass defenses, eight forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries along with 77 special teams tackles. A former seventh-round draft choice of Jacksonville, Clark has had prior stops with the Jaguars, Oakland Raiders, Saints, Houston Texans and New York Giants.

CAREER TRANSACTIONS

– Signed by Saints, 9/6/10; Released by Houston Texans, 9/5/10; Signed by Houston (UFA), 5/12/010; Signed by New York Giants (UFA) to two-year contract, 3/13/08; Signed by Houston (UFA) to one-year contract, 3/7/07; Signed by Saints to one-year contract, 9/5/06; Released by Oakland Raiders, 9/2/06; Signed by Oakland (UFA), 3/12/04; Drafted by Jacksonville Jaguars in seventh round (245th overall) of the 2000 NFL Draft.

2009 – Saw action in all 16 games with 11 starts for the Giants at SLB and finished the sea­son with 51 tackles (33 solo), two sacks and two pass defenses...Started and notched a season-high seven tack­les (two solos) at New Orleans, Oct. 18...Recorded two tackles, two pass defenses and his first sack of the season vs. Arizona, Oct. 25...Started and made three tackles with a 10-yard sack at Denver, Nov. 26...Made two tackles, including one for loss at Minnesota in the season finale, Jan. 3. 2008 – Earned the Giants’ start­ing strongside linebacker job in training camp and played in all 16 regular season games with 15 starts and started the NFC Divisional Playoff game vs. Philadelphia, finishing third on the team with 74 tackles (36 solo), one pass defense, one forced fumble and two special teams tackles...Posted a season-high nine tackles vs. Dallas, Nov. 2…Had eight tackles and added a tackle and forced a fumble on special teams vs. Baltimore, Nov. 16. 2007 – Played in 13 games for Houston, starting eight at strongside linebacker and totaled 43 tack­les, 34 solo, an interception and one pass defense...Started and recorded five tackles, plus one special teams tackle against Kansas City, Sept. 9...Started and tallied a season-high eight tackles, along with one solo special teams tackle against Tennessee, Oct. 21...Had a strong game against his former team, notching five solo tackles, one pass defense, an interception off QB Josh Mc­Cown and one solo special teams tackle at Oak­land, Nov. 4...Had three solo tackles and two special teams tackles against New Orleans, Nov. 18)...Racked up six tackles, one special teams tackle and a forced fumble on special teams at Cleveland, Nov. 25. 2006 – Saw action in all 16 games as a reserve linebacker and on special teams for the Saints…Joined the Saints just prior to the start of the regular season after spending training camp with the Oakland Raiders and finished the year with 13 tackles, including 10 solo stops, and 13 tack­les on special teams…Made his Saints debut and made a special teams stop at Cleveland, Sept. 10…Registered a sea­son-high seven tackles, including five solos, in the season finale vs. Carolina, Dec. 31…Made three special teams tackles in NFC Divisional Playoff win over Philadelphia…Made one solo tackle and had a pass defense in NFC Champion­ship Game at Chicago. 2005 – Started 15 of 16 games in his final season in Oakland and led the Raiders in tackles for the second consecu­tive season, recording 113 stops (82 solos) and also notched one sack with seven pass defenses…Voted a defensive co-captain by his teammates…Led the defense with eight solo tackles and two assisted tackles vs. Kansas City, Sept. 18…Registered a team-leading 12 tackles, including seven solos, and recorded his first sack of the season, dropping Titans QB Steve McNair for a four-yard loss at Tennessee, Oct. 30…Led the defense with a season-high 14 total tackles, 10 of them solo, at New York Jets, Dec. 11. 2004 – Started all 16 games at ILB in his first season with the Raiders and led the team in tack­les with 129, including 98 solo stops…Also notched two sacks and recorded five pass defenses…Recorded 10 or more tackles in five games, including a career-high 16-tackle game in Week 11 vs. San Diego…Recorded four tackles and one pass defense in Raiders debut at Pittsburgh, Sept. 12)…Made a team-high 11 tackles and recorded one sack vs. Buffalo, Sept. 19…Recorded a team- and career-high 16 tackles, including 13 solo stops, vs. San Diego, Nov. 21…Registered a team-high 10 tackles and a pass defense vs. Ten­nessee, Dec. 19, and recorded his second sack of the season, dropping QB Billy Volek for a five-yard loss. 2003 – Played in all 16 games with eight starts at LB in his final season for Jacksonville, finishing with 73 tackles along with 11 special teams tackles…Started and had six tackles and a forced fumble vs. Houston, Dec. 7…Started and posted a team-high 14 tackles, two for loss, and added one tackle on special teams at Atlanta, Dec. 28. 2002 – Started in all 16 games for the first time in his career and posted 91 tackles with two sacks, one interception, a pass defense and a forced fumble…Registered a season-high eight tackles at Kansas City, Sept. 15…Tallied five tackles vs. Washington, Nov. 10, and recorded his first career intercep­tion off of Redskins QB Shane Matthews. 2001 – Played in 13 games with three starts, finishing with 48 tackles, one pass defense and one forced fum­ble along with 17 special teams tackles…Made one stop on defense and also posted four tackles on special teams and forced a fumble that led to a touchdown at Seattle, Oct. 7…Started and made a season-high eight stops at Tennessee, Nov. 4. 2000 – Played in all 16 games as a rookie, seeing action at LB and on special teams, making a team-high 25 special teams stops that tied a team record…Also added one forced fumble and two fumble recoveries on special teams…Saw action at LB for the first time in his career vs. Pittsburgh, Oct. 1, and made four tackles and returned a fumble 44 yards…Made a team-high four special teams tackles and one forced fumble that led to a score at Pittsburgh, Nov. 19).

COLLEGE

– Played in 45 games with 44 starts at Illinois…Three-time honorable mention All-Big Ten at Illinois…Ranks sixth on school’s career list with 384 tackles, just past Pro Football Hall of Famer Dick Butkus. As a senior in 1999, started all 12 games and recorded a career-high 122 tackles, three sacks and an interception…Had a team-high 115 tackles as a junior..Graduated with a degree in communications and attended graduate school.

PERSONAL

– The “Danny Clark Foundation” benefits individuals around the United States with a specific focus on minority communities. He is also vice president of the CCHYF (Country Club Hills Youth Foundation) in his hometown in Illinois…Joined fellow NFL players Larry Fitzgerald, Will Witherspoon and Jared Allen on the NFL’s 2009 USO Tour to the Middle East, visiting active troops in various countries…All-conference as a quarterback and linebacker at Hillcrest HS in Country Club Hills, Ill.…Daily Southtown and Star all-area pick…chosen all-state by Champaign News-Gazette…Also lettered in basketball…Married to Chasity.

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