Moon Township, Pa. – RMU head football coach
Bernard Clark, Jr., has been selected to be inducted into the Orange Bowl Hall of Fame presented by AutoNation, it was announced Wednesday. Clark joins Dewey Selmon (Oklahoma) and Grant Wistrom (Nebraska) as part of the Class of 2022.
"It's a tremendous honor as well as extremely humbling to be a member of the latest class of the Orange Bowl Hall of Fame," said Clark. "To say it was a surprise when I found out is an understatement. To be included among an incredible group of players and coaches that have been a part of the game through the years is a distinct privilege."
The Orange Bowl Committee selects individuals each year to be inducted into its prestigious Orange Bowl Hall of Fame presented by AutoNation. Inductees exemplify the tradition of the Orange Bowl, which has been played annually since January 1, 1935, and has over eight decades of historical impact on the college football landscape.
In addition to Clark, Selmon and Wistrom being honored, former NBC sportscaster Tony Segreto has been named the 2022 recipient of the Edwin Pope Orange Bowl Vanguard Media Award, which annually honors a member of the sports media who has made significant contributions to college football and impacted the Orange Bowl and/or South Florida Community.
The four legends will be honored at the annual AvMed Orange Bowl Coaches Luncheon presented by AutoNation Thursday, Dec. 29, in Miami, Fla., at Jungle Island. Each will also be recognized in an on-field ceremony at the 89th Capital One Orange Bowl Friday, Dec. 30, 2022, at Hard Rock Stadium.
Clark, a native of Tampa, Fla., stepped up to start at middle linebacker for the Hurricanes in the 54th edition of the Orange Bowl, Jan. 1 1988, against No. 1 Oklahoma. He was a member of a defensive unit that held the Sooners to just 255 yards of total offense and finished with 14 tackles, including 20 solo stops, in a 20-14 victory. In helping cap a perfect 12-0 campaign with the win over the Sooners, the first undefeated season by any program at Miami, the Hurricanes claimed their second national championship and Clark was named Most Valuable Player (MVP) thanks to his performance.
The 1988 Orange Bowl between Miami and Oklahoma featured Jimmy Johnson as head coach of the Hurricanes and Barry Switzer as head coach of the Sooners. The contest marked the only time opposing head coaches from a college national championship game each later served as head coach of the same professional football team. Both Johnson and Switzer won the Super Bowl in the National Football League (NFL) with the Dallas Cowboys. Switzer was inducted into the Orange Bowl Hall of Fame in 1987, while Johnson followed with induction in 2000.
Clark was named the third head coach of the RMU football program at RMU at a press conference at Joe Walton Stadium Dec. 19, 2017. He orchestrated one of the best turnarounds in program history in 2019, as the Colonials rebounded from an 0-3 start to win seven of its final nine games, including a 6-1 (.857) ledger in the Northeast Conference (NEC). For his efforts, Clark was tabbed the 2019 NEC Co-Coach of the Year and was also a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Award, one of the STATS NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) legacy awards given annually to the NCAA FCS Coach of the Year.
A 1989 graduate of Miami with a Bachelor of Arts degree in business administration, Clark won a pair of national championships with the Hurricanes. In the 1989 regular-season finale against No. 1 Notre Dame, Clark recorded 18 takedowns, including 13 solo, and returned an interception 50 yards that set up a touchdown in a 27-10 win over the Fighting Irish. Miami finished 11-1 (.917) that season after a 33-25 win over Alabama in the Sugar Bowl to claim its third national title of the 1980s.
Clark was a third round pick of the Cincinnati Bengals in the 1990 NFL Draft, tabbed as the 65th overall selection. He played two seasons with the Bengals as well as one year with the Seattle Seahawks and also spent time in the Arena Football League (AFL) with the Orlando Predators. He began his collegiate coaching career at James Madison in 1998.
ABOUT ORANGE BOWL (OrangeBowl.org)
Orange Bowl is a 391-member, primarily-volunteer non-profit sports organization that promotes and serves the South Florida community. With its primary mission since being created in 1935 to bring tourism to South Florida through an annual football game and events, it has also maintained a legacy of charitable contributions and community outreach. Orange Bowl's community outreach is embodied by the four pillars of its Orange Bowl Cares program: Youth Sports, Education, Community Engagement and Legacy Programs. Orange Bowl features a year-round schedule of events culminating with the 2022 Capital One Orange Bowl on Dec. 30. For more information on the 2022 Orange Bowl events, including promotional inquiries and volunteer opportunities through the Ambassador Program presented by Panera Bread, log on to orangebowl.org or follow @OrangeBowl on social media.
ABOUT RMU ATHLETICS (RMUColonials.com)
From its fertile beginning as a men's basketball junior college powerhouse to one of the most diverse athletic programs in the Pittsburgh tri-state area, RMU offers 17 intercollegiate athletic programs, including the only NCAA Division I men's and women's hockey and men's lacrosse teams in the region. Over the last 46 years, the Colonials have claimed 53 conference regular season and 54 league tournament titles. RMU joined the Horizon League in 2020 for 10 of its 17 athletic programs, while football joined the Big South as an associate member. The RMU women's lacrosse program accepted an invitation to join the Mid-American Conference (MAC) as an affiliate member in 2020, and men's lacrosse joined the ASUN in 2021. The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) serves as the home for RMU rowing, women's hockey is a member of College Hockey America (CHA) and the men's hockey program competes in Atlantic Hockey.
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