Clark, Dutch

Extract

Clark, Dutch (11 October 1906–05 August 1978), professional football player, was born Earl Harry Clark in Fowler, Colorado, the son of Harry Clark, a farmer and railroad worker, and Mary Etta Lackey. His nickname was derived from “Little Dutch,” an older brother having been called “Big Dutch” because of a speech problem. When his family moved to Pueblo, Colorado, Clark quit attending public schools and began working as a “call boy” in a railyard, “rousting” brakemen and engineers from their rooming houses early in the morning. After two years he returned to school, attending Pueblo Central High School, where he was an outstanding football, basketball, and baseball player. Noted particularly for his broken-field running, he led his high school football team to the final game of the state playoffs for two years in a row. He also played center on the basketball team that lost in the championship game of the National Interscholastic Tournament....