John Clay (running back)
| Career information | |
|---|---|
| College: | Wisconsin |
| Undrafted: | 2011 |
| Career history | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
John Clay (January 4, 1988) is an American Football running back who is currently a free agent. He played college football for the University of Wisconsin–Madison football team. Clay was one of the most heavily recruited players in the country coming out of high school. In high school, he received numerous awards and accolades for his accomplishments on the field at Washington Park High in Racine, Wisconsin. Clay was ruled ineligible to play by the NCAA after not completing Wisconsin admission requirements. Clay was ruled eligible for the 2008 season. His nickname is "Gumby", supposedly because of that show's clay animation style. He entered the 2011 NFL Draft, but went undrafted.
High school
John Clay attended Washington Park High School in Racine, Wisconsin. While in High School he was trained by NBA All-Star Caron Butler's trainer Eric M. Harris of Complete8 LLC. He was named All-American in 2006 and played in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl game. A 4-star recruit,[1] he committed to Wisconsin on national signing day after declining offers from Tennessee, Ohio State, Nebraska, and Iowa.[1]
Awards and accolades
- U.S. Army All-American Bowl
- Tom Lemming's Top 10 of 2007
- All-State
- All-Area
- Rival's 100
- 2009 Big Ten offensive player of the year
- 2009 All-Big Ten 1st team
- 2009 Champs Sports Bowl MVP
Wisconsin Badgers
2008 season
As a redshirt freshman in 2008, Clay saw his first action on the field against the University of Akron, where he posted 71 yards and his first collegiate touchdown on just 12 carries. He finished the season second on the team and seventh in the Big Ten Conference in rushing with 884 yards on 155 carries and nine touchdowns.
2009 season
In his sophomore season, Clay ran for 143 rushing yards against the Fresno State Bulldogs on September 12, 2009.[2] Clay was rewarded for his performance earning his first start of the season the following week against the Wofford Terriers. However, in that game Clay had a career high three fumbles.[3]
On October 3, 2009, Clay ran for a career high of 184 rushing yards on 32 attempts against the Minnesota Golden Gophers. Clay also scored 3 touchdowns is that game.
On November 23, 2009, Clay was named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year. Clay is the third Badgers' standout to be named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year, joining fellow running backs Ron Dayne (1999) and Brent Moss (1993). Clay led the Big Ten and ranked eighth in the country with 1,517 rushing yards. His 18 rushing touchdowns also led the Big Ten and tied for seventh in the nation. The Wisconsin native is the third consecutive running back to earn Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year accolades and the sixth sophomore to be honored, joining a group of former second-year winners that includes Purdue quarterback Drew Brees (1998), Michigan running backs Tyrone Wheatley (1992) and Jon Vaughn (1990) and Michigan State running backs Tico Duckett (1990) and Lorenzo White (1985).
John Clay was on the cover of the December 11, 2009 edition of Sports Illustrated. The Sports Illustrated issue was "Pictures of the Year", the best sports photos of 2009. The cover is a close-up of Clay's helmet with the reflection of his offensive line and quarterback in his visor. The picture was taken during the Michigan game at Camp Randall Stadium.
2010 season
Clay entered the 2010 football season on the preseason watch lists for the Doak Walker Award, Walter Camp Award, and Maxwell Award. He was also selected as a Playboy All-American and has also been viewed as a viable candidate for the Heisman Memorial Trophy.[citation needed]An MCL injury sidelined Clay for the last three 2010 regular season games, damaging his chances at the Heisman. Clay was named one of three finalists for the 2010 Doak Walker Award, which is given annually to the nation's top running back. The other two finalists were Kendall Hunter of Oklahoma State and the winner of the award, LaMichael James of Oregon.
For the 2010 season, Clay finished with 1,012 rushing yards and 14 rushing touchdowns.
Controversy
After graduating from high school and before the start of summer football camp, Clay was notified by the NCAA that his grades had not met the requirements to play collegiate football. He had recorded a 2.7 core GPA and received a 17 on his ACT.[1] Clay attended summer school to complete the required course work, then rejoined his teammates and began practicing with the Badgers. He lost a year of football, but retained his eligibility.
Professional career
On January 7, 2011, Clay announced he would forgo his senior season to enter the 2011 NFL Draft.[4]
Clay went undrafted in the 2011 NFL Draft.
2011 NFL Draft
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | Vertical jump | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
230 lb (104 kg) |
31 in (0.79 m) |
8+3⁄4 in (0.22 m) |
4.77 s | 29 in (0.74 m) | |||||||
| All values from NFL Combine[5] | ||||||||||||
Statistics
Rushing
| Year | Team | Attempts | Yards | Average | Long | TDs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Washington Park | 178 | 1,483 | 8.3 | - | 10 |
| 2005 | Washington Park | 166 | 2,029 | 12.2 | - | 29 |
| 2006 | Washington Park | 183 | 1,485 | 8.1 | - | 13 |
| High School Totals | - | 4,997 | - | -- | 52 | |
| 2008 | Wisconsin | 155 | 884 | 5.7 | 46 | 9 |
| 2009 | Wisconsin | 277 | 1,517 | 5.5 | 72 | 18 |
| 2010 | Wisconsin | 187 | 1,012 | 5.4 | 40 | 14 |
| College Totals | 619 | 3,413 | 5.5 | 72 | 41 | |
References
- ^ a b c "Scout.com John Clay Profile". Scout.com. Retrieved 2008-10-13.
- ^ "John Clay bio". uwbadgers.com. Retrieved 2009-09-19. [dead link]
- ^ "Fumbles a slippery subject". jsonline.com. Retrieved 2009-09-19.
- ^ "Badgers' RB Clay will test NFL waters". journaltimes.com. Retrieved 2011-01-07.
- ^ http://www.nfl.com/combine/profiles/john-clay?id=2495460#tabs:tab-overview Clay NFL Combine
- ^ "John Clay Stats". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2008-10-13.