ASU defender Jordan Clark has learned lessons on and off the field from his famous father
One of Jordan Clark's favorite memories on a football field isn't one that came for him as a player. It was one he experienced with his father Ryan, who played in the NFL for 13 years, seven of those with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Ryan Clark's tenure with the Pittsburg Steelers was highlighted by a win over the Arizona Cardinals in the Super Bowl in 2009. Jordan, then in the second grade, ran around on the field after the game and celebrated with his father.
"I'll never forget my dad laying in the confetti," Clark said. "I remember Larry Fitzgerald running down the field crying. I was crying. That was probably one of the greatest moments of my life, just being there with him and experiencing that. I look back now and appreciate it even more. How many kids get to do that?"
Jordan, now 22, admits he is still a diehard Steelers fan because of those memories built when his dad played for that organization. His father was particularly close to Troy Polamalu, who actually babysat a young Jordan and to whom he still refers to as "Uncle Troy."
Not surprisingly Jordan is trying to follow in his father's footsteps. He is one of the leaders of an Arizona State football team that is looking to bounce back from a 3-9 showing in 2022. He said he hates to lose so last season was difficult. While a lot of players jumped ship, Clark never considered doing so. First, he liked the energy and vision of Kenny Dillingham and his coaching staff.
The other reason? He's happy.
"I love Tempe. I love ASU, love the people I have met. I love where I am, where I wake up every day. Love my teammates and the experiences I have had here. I wanted to finish what I started," said Jordan, who starts for the Sun Devils at nickelback. "That’s no knock on the guys that did leave. Everyone has to do what is best for them."
The Clark family hails from Baton Rouge. Jordan graduated from University Lab High School which is on the campus of LSU. It should have been a no-brainer for Jordan, tabbed a four-star prospect by the major recruiting services, to consider the Tigers but that school wanted to see him in a camp and with 20 offers already in hand, he didn't think that should have been necessary.
ASU also seemed to be an obvious choice for several reasons. Ryan trained in Scottsdale during the offseason, so Jordan already knew the area. Then there were the other connections. Antonio Pierce, who was the defensive coordinator at ASU when Jordan arrived, was a former teammate of his father's with the New York Giants and then coach Herm Edwards worked as an analyst at ESPN alongside Ryan.
That's not all. Former running backs coach John Simon was a teammate of Ryan Clark with Washington, the second of the three NFL teams for whom he played.
"ASU recruited me with (previous coach Todd) Graham," Jordan said. "I took a visit to the USC game with coach Simon and came back on a Junior Day when Herm and AP (Pierce) were there and really liked it. With all of the time my dad spent out there it already so it already felt like home."
Despite living in Louisiana and traveling to the East Coast for his work at ESPN, Ryan Clark still attends each ASU game even if that means having to take a red-eye flight after a game or when a particularly late game which requires that he depart at halftime. If the Sun Devils are on the road, he'll fly from that location directly to New York.
Ryan Clark holds down that role as proud father when his son is on the field but he can also be considered a proud coach as well since he trained Jordan starting in the eighth grade. That meant getting up at 5 a.m. and getting some work in before school but all say he never pushed too hard.
"He wanted me to develop a love for the game on my own. He didn’t want me to get burned out. He left me alone till like eighth grade and then I decided I wanted to play in college so he laid out the blueprint for me," Jordan said. "I think it was appropriate, just hard enough. It takes working extra to be great. He instilled that in me early."
That is pretty much the way Ryan remembers it too.
"He came to me and told me he wanted to get a college scholarship and that was a goal of his," Ryan recalled. "I told him I could help him and I would do everything I could but I also told him if at any point that goal changed or that wasn't something he wanted to pursue any more, just tell me and that was fine."
Clark is one that most players on the Sun Devil squad point to as a leader. He was one of two players Dillingham chose to represent the school at Pac-12 Media Day in Las Vegas, the other being tight end Jalin Conyers. His poise and personable demeanor other traits he likely learned from his father, now an established media professional. The responsibility is not one he takes lightly.
"I love this school, want to represent this school the best I can. I want to make sure we’re doing things the right way and are setting the standard," he said. "Even if there is a game I might have played well, if we didn’t win, didn’t succeed as a team, I’m not happy, not satisfied."
Dillingham appreciates the father-son relationship he sees between the two and admires how the positive attributes have translated to the playing field.
"Jordan is his own person. His dad just raised him in a certain way to compete and have an edge but Jordan’s dad is way removed from the program which is what makes it special," Dillingham said. "Here you have this high profile guy who knows football at a high level, who has this platform and he doesn’t get in his sons way. He lets his son have his own way and he trusts that he raised his son the way that he believes is right and you see Jordan go out there and he’s a living replica. He’s competitive. He’s physical. He’s got fire , he’s passionate. You can tell the relationship they have."
There is also the quickly developing relationship Jordan has with his new head coach, who shares the same passion for the school.
"He is the embodiment of what a Sun Devil should be," defensive backs coach Bryan Carrington said of Jordan. "You want that guy that cares about the program. He has seen the stages Arizona State has been in since his underclassmen years. Just having guys like him, guys that just love being here, living in Tempe, love the university and then having a guy like Dillingham that’s also a Sun Devil. That really helps us develop that culture. He's got a good voice and the other players respect him. So to see him buy in to doing things our way. Once Jordan Clark buys in, other guys are going to follow because he has that leadership."
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona State's Jordan Clark aims to follow father, Ryan Clark, to NFL
