Pinball Clemons
Pinball Clemons was born in Dunedin, Florida, United States on January 15th, 1965 and is the Football Player. At the age of 59, Pinball Clemons biography, profession, age, height, weight, eye color, hair color, build, measurements, education, career, dating/affair, family, news updates, and networth are available.
At 59 years old, Pinball Clemons has this physical status:
Michael Lutrell "Pinball" Clemons (born January 15, 1965) is an American-Canadian sports executive who serves as general manager for the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League (CFL).
Clemons played with the Argos for twelve seasons, and twice served as their head coach.
His no. 31 jersey is one of only four that have been retired by the Argos.
He is one of the most famous former Argos players, and is also one of the most popular professional athletes in the history of Toronto.
Clemons has stated that he feels CFL football is the best football in the world.
Clemons is 5 ft 6 in (167 cm) tall and weighs 170 pounds (77 kg).
Early life
Clemons was born and raised in Dunedin, Florida to an 18-year-old single mother, Anna Marie Bryant, who had just graduated from a segregated high school. His father, Willie Clemons, lived an hour and a half away from them while finishing up his university education and later became a school teacher.
Clemons started playing football at age 8 with the Dunedin Golden Eagles, a youth organization co-ordinated by the Police Athletic League.
Clemons and his mother lived in public housing across the street from the city's sewer plant until he was 14 years old. At this point in Clemons' life, his mother married his stepfather and would also become the first African-American to get an administrative job for the City of Dunedin.
Clemons's mother was also a heavy influence in him becoming a devout Christian as she was also a clerk at a Baptist church in Dunedin. Clemons and his family currently attend the Meeting House in Oakville, Ontario.
Clemons later formed a relationship with his father, Willie, during his college years. Even then, the relationship between him and his father was more like a nephew to an uncle, being limited to visits during his family vacations down in Florida and regular phone calls. Willie was also invited to the 2003 CFL Eastern Division semi-final game his son was coaching in Toronto vs. the B.C. Lions, marking the first time his father had actually seen him in any capacity with the Argonauts. Shortly afterwards, his father died.
Personal life
Clemons is also a motivational speaker, making frequent public appearances throughout the community. He is also a partner of the children's brand Simply Kids, a line of diapers, baby food and healthcare products found in supermarkets across Canada and the United States.
Currently, Clemons resides in Oakville, Ontario with his wife, Diane (a native Floridian), and three daughters (who were all born in Canada). His oldest daughter, Rachel, is 22, his middle daughter Raven is 19, and his youngest daughter Rylie is now 17. Clemons has described himself (borrowing a quote from C.D. Howe) as an "American by birth but Canadian by choice". In 2000, Clemons became a permanent resident of Canada. It had once been suggested that Clemons had remained an American citizen to rebuff any calls for him to run for political office, such as for mayor of Toronto. Clemons was the subject of Pinball: The Making of a Canadian Hero (ISBN 978-0-470-83690-3) a biography written by Perry Lefko published in 2006.
In April 2007, he visited Calderstone Middle School in Brampton to help start a reading program.
On August 21, 2007, Clemons founded the "Michael 'Pinball' Clemons Foundation" which is dedicated to helping disadvantaged youth.
On March 23, 2009, Clemons appeared on the CTV News @ 6 as a celebrity guest host to do the weather in celebration of Dave Devall's retirement. He is currently working with Marc Kielburger and Craig Kielburger, founders of Free the Children, in an initiative to build schools and clean water systems in Africa.
On November 14, 2012, Clemons visited and gave a speech about life topics in Markham, Ontario for York Regional District School Board's annual QUEST Forum to promote Student Achievement and Well-Being.
On February 28, 2014, Clemons visited the Scouts Canada National Leadership summit to speak about teamwork and working as one team to kick off the new program and strategic plan announcement.
On April 28, 2015, Clemons officially became a naturalized citizen of Canada.
Clemons was recognized on February 10, 2017 by the College of William and Mary, his alma mater, with an honorary degree during Charter Day ceremonies, where he also was principal speaker.
From February 10–26, 2017, Clemons partnered with Global Pet Foods and Air Miles for the "Show Us Your Heart" event. Its goal is to raise money for homeless pets, rescue groups, and animal shelters across Canada through donations made at Global Pet Food stores.
College career
Clemons earned a degree in economics from the College of William & Mary, where he competed for the football team and returned as a backup and return specialist, as well as playing varsity soccer for a year. He accumulated 4,778 all-purpose yards and was named a Division I-AA all-American for his four-year college football career.
Professional football career
The Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League selected Clemons in 1987. Clemons appeared in eight games during the 1987 NFL season, mainly as a punt returner, where he had 162 yards.
Since the Clemons first joined the Toronto Argonauts in 1989, guest running backs coach Tom Cudney dubbed him "Pinball" due to his running style. His diminutive stature and extraordinary balance made him bounce back against defensive players much like a pinball machine. The Who song "Pinball Wizard" will be broadcast on the P.A. during home games. Each time, Clemons was involved in a great game. Clemons was named the player of the game in his first game with the Argonauts. After establishing a single season record for all-purpose yards (3,300), Clemons received the CFL's Most Outstanding Player Award in 1990. Clemons won his first football championship as his Argonauts defeated the Calgary Stampeders to win the Grey Cup the following year. When Doug Flutie led the Argonauts to back-to-back titles during the 1996 and 1997 seasons, the Clemons went on to win two more Grey Cups as a player. By obtaining 3,840 all-purpose yards in 1997, Clemons tied his single-season all-purpose yards record from 1990. This record stood up to 2012 until Chad Owens' break it in 2012. Clemons played his last game as an Argonaut on September 15, 2000. He set many team records, including career pass receptions (682), punt return yards (6,025), kickoff return yards (6,349), and kickoff return yards (300). He also set single-season punt return yards (1,070 in 1997), punt returns (111 in 1997), and kickoff returns (49 in 1997). During the regular season, the Clemons also gained 25,438 combined yards, a CFL record.
Clemons was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 2008, and he was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame. In 2009, Clemons was also inducted into the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame.
Coaching career
Clemons became interim head coach of the Toronto Argonauts in 2000 after compiling a 1–6–1 record. When J. I. Albrecht, the head coaching position, Clemons was reluctant to accept it because he wanted to spend more time with his family. "It was an uncomfortable situation," Clemons said. After saying no, they said we would go home and discussing it with your family. The burden was that this team, this group, had given our families so much that Canada would be our home. My family was just one of the Argos, and I had no interest in them becoming a member of this region. I had been given a lot, and I thought it was time to reciprocate." The Argos won 6 games out of their remaining 8 games as interim head coach Clemons. At the end of the season, he had the interim tag stripped from his title. In November 2001, he was named President of the Argonauts and relinquished his position as head coach.
With six games remaining in the 2002 CFL season, Etcheverry was fired as head coach on September 17, 2002. On December 17, 2002, Clemons officially accepted the job as the head coach again, while also relinquishing his position as team president. He remained the head coach until 2007. Every year, Clemons has been nominated for the Annis Stukus Trophy, but it has fallen short each time.
Clemons was the first black head coach to play in a Grey Cup game in 2004. He was the first black head coach to win a Grey Cup championship in the same Grey Cup tournament, as well as the second black coach to ever lead his team to a pro football championship in North America. (Darren Arbet of the San Jose SaberCats was the first to do so in 2002 following an ArenaBowl XVI victory.) The Clemons downplayed this monumental achievement, saying, "I don't know what it means to be the first Black coach in the (Grey) Cup and to win it." I know that I can't do anything by myself, and that I'm doing fine on my own. Anything I do has to do with people, and this team became like a family and is a family, so it has little to do with my skin color.
With 67 wins, Clemons has the second most head coaching victories in Argonauts history. (Bob O'Billovich is the first in the country to reach the age of 89.) The Clemons' record is 6–51-1 in the regular season, with a 6–5 playoff record (including 1–0 in his lone Grey Cup appearance). His nickname as a coach was often reduced to "Pinner" by his players. He became the team's chief executive officer after leaving as head coach in 2008.