Pinball Clemons

Michael Lutrell "Pinball" Clemons (born January 15, 1965) is an American-Canadian sports executive and former running back and return specialist who serves as general manager for the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League (CFL).

He is considered by many to be one of the greatest and most famous Argos players of all time, as well as one of the most popular professional athletes in the history of Toronto.

Clemons was born on January 15, 1965, 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.

A native of Dunedin, Florida, Clemons played college football at the College of William & Mary and was drafted in the eighth round of the 1987 NFL Draft by the Kansas City Chiefs.

In 1987, Clemons was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the eighth round of the National Football League.

During the 1987 NFL season, Clemons played in eight games, predominantly as a punt returner, where he collected 19 returns for 162 yards.

After two years in the NFL, Clemons joined the Argonauts in 1989, playing with them for twelve seasons where he was a two-time All-Star and a three-time Grey Cup Champion.

After retiring from playing, he twice served as their head coach before becoming an administrator, since winning three more Grey Cups.

His no. 31 jersey is one of only four that have been retired by the Argonauts.

When Clemons first joined the Toronto Argonauts in 1989, guest running backs coach Tom Cudney nicknamed him "Pinball" because of his running style.

His diminutive size and extraordinary balance allowed him to bounce between defensive players much like a pinball inside a pinball machine.

During home games, The Who song "Pinball Wizard" would play on the P.A. each time Clemons was involved in a great play.

In his first game with the Argonauts, Clemons was named the player of the game.

In 1990, Clemons received the CFL's Most Outstanding Player Award after setting a single season record for all-purpose yards (3,300).

The following year, Clemons won his very first football championship as his Argonauts defeated the Calgary Stampeders to win the Grey Cup.

Clemons went on to win two more Grey Cups as a player when Doug Flutie led the Argonauts to win back-to-back titles during the 1996 & 1997 seasons.

In 1997, Clemons surpassed his own single season all-purpose yards record from 1990 by recording 3,840 all-purpose yards.

He also set single season single-season punt return yards (1,070 in 1997), punt returns (111 in 1997), and kickoff returns (49 in 1997).

Clemons also amassed a career 25,438 combined yards during the regular season, a CFL record.

On September 15, 2000, Clemons played his last ever game as an Argonaut.

During his 12-year playing career with the Argonauts he set many team records including career pass receptions (682), punt return yards (6,025), punt returns (610), punt return touchdowns (8), kickoff return yards (6,349), and kickoff returns (300).

Upon ending his playing career, Clemons became interim head coach of the Toronto Argonauts in 2000, replacing John Huard, who resigned after compiling a 1–6–1 record.

When offered the head coaching job by team general manager J. I. Albrecht, Clemons was reluctant to accept it, wanting to spend more time with his family.

According to Clemons, "it was an awkward situation. After saying no, they said do us the favour of going home and discussing it with your family. The burden was that this team, this organization, had given our family so much that Canada was going to be our home. The Argos had everything to do with my family becoming a part of this country. Because of all I had been given I decided it was my time to reciprocate."

As interim head coach, Clemons coached the Argos to 6 wins out of their remaining 8 games.

He had the interim tag removed from his title at the end of the season.

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.

Clemons played college football at the College of William and Mary, where he played as a running back and return specialist on the football team, as well as playing varsity soccer for a year.

In his four-year college football career, he compiled 4,778 all-purpose yards and was named a Division I-AA all-American.

In 2008, Clemons was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame, and was also inducted into the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame in 2009.

This mark stood until 2012, when it was broken by Chad Owens.