Mitchell Blair
There is no other uniform Dan Clark will ever see himself wearing other than the Green and White of the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
“This is home. This is where I played football on Friday nights in high school with Thom Collegiate. This is where I played Sunday with the Regina Thunder,” Clark said. “I don’t want to play anywhere else. I think this is where home will forever be.”
The Green and White rewarded the 27-year-old who won the training camp battle with Corey Watman for the starting centre job and has never looked back.
While the season has been a learning experience for Clark, interim general manager Jeremy O’Day feels he has certainly seen enough of what the 6 foot 2, 310 pounder can do both on the field and off of it.
“What we have seen from Dan this year has been very impressive.” O’Day said. “His play has been great and his leadership in the locker-room has been tremendous as well. It has been a tough year for this football club, but he has stepped it up. He was under fire right from training camp, but his play has stepped up and he has improved each game. The sky is the limit for him and we are excited to have him locked in.
Being a centre, O’Day knows what is needed to succeed in that position and he has seen a lot of positives in the 11 games he has been there.
“His ability to communicate for a first year guy and getting everyone on the same page is key.” O’Day stated. “He has done a great job of stepping up and becoming a leader and he is getting better and better with every game. In fact, I think last week (versus Ottawa) may have been one of his best of the year. He will obviously get challenged, but he is picking up defenses, he is getting quicker and he gets along with the guys in that room. His play is a definite reason for this extension.”
Clark joined the club in 2009 when he was playing for the Regina Thunder, as a Junior Territorial Property player. He says it is hard to believe it’s been six years since joining the Riders.
“It kind of takes me by surprise,” Clark admitted. “It is a dream come true and it is one of those dreams I hope I can continue living for years to come. To have this experience and show I can play at this level is unbelievable and to get this extension shows the faith they have in me, it’s great!”
The move to sign Clark is the first official move made by O’Day since he became the interim general manager a couple of weeks ago. He acknowledges that it was special to have that first move be a guy he has seen grow into the player he is now.
“It is special that it’s Dan. “O’Day said. “I had a relationship with him when he first came in when I was a player. I have gotten to see him grow as a player and a pro and he always had a good feeling for what it took to be a pro and what roles were needed for him to succeed. I’m happy to see this happen and while it is coincidence that Dan played the same position as me, I am happy to get this done for the organization because it is the first piece of the future with Dan committing to the organization despite the rough year we have had.”
While he was best known before the year for catching touchdown passes, Clark can now go to bed knowing the team is ready to move forward with him in the position and that he can be known for trying to be one of the best in the league at his position adding to a list of successful home-grown offensive linemen the team has had over the years.
