Mizzou Hall of Fame Feature: John Clay
11/11/2019 3:00:00 PM | Football, General
Former First Rounder Will Be Inducted This Weekend
Suiting up for the Black and Gold from 1983-86, former offensive lineman John Clay was a force to be reckoned with in the trenches. The St. Louis native was named a consensus All-American in 1986 and was a three-time first-team All-Big Eight selection.
Thirty-three years after playing his final snap at Mizzou, Clay received a phone call from MU's Director of Athletics Jim Sterk, informing him that the former offensive tackle will join five other outstanding Tigers to be enshrined next month into the Mizzou Hall of Fame's Class of 2019.
"Personally, I appreciate the honor more than anything, it just goes to show if you put in the hard work and stay focused, you can do almost anything," Clay said. "It had to sink in for a while. First thing that went through my mind was my parents. I thought about how much they helped me to achieve my goals; about how proud they would be."
Playing in his home state, Clay is thankful for his college experience. His horizons were broadened by the classes he took and the people he met and interacted with. It was not his career that made his time at Mizzou memorable, but rather his teammates that grew with him throughout his days as a Tiger.
"I still see them now and it's like 20 years ago, thirty years ago. We never got disconnected and if I need anything, they are here for me and I can help them too," Clay said. "We had to overcome lots of adversity there, we came together. I remember my linemen; we had to work hard and have fun together too."
A shining moment in Clay's four-year stay in Columbia came during his freshman season, in 1983, when the Tigers knocked off legendary head coach Barry Switzer and No. 11 Oklahoma 10-0 at Memorial Stadium. The win was the height of a four-game win streak, helping Mizzou reach the AP Top 25 for the first time in two years, and propelling them to the Holiday Bowl.
"It was a big deal. We looked forward to the nationally televised game. Any time we had that we knew it was a big opportunity for us to show how good our team was. That set the tone, Clay said."
After an impressive senior year at Mizzou, in which he was chosen as an All-American, Clay was selected with the 15th pick in the 1987 NFL Draft by the Los Angeles Raiders. From a span of 1982 to 2000, Clay was the only Tiger selected in the draft's first round, emphasizing what kind of impact he had on the Missouri program.
"It was hard work. It was discipline. And playing in the Big Eight, we played against good competition, you know had good coaches. It was a good University to go to, and it worked out for me," Clay said.
Clay spent two seasons in the NFL, appearing in 12 games for both the Raiders as well as the San Diego Chargers. After a back injury derailed his professional career, Clay decided to stay in the game and pursue a high school coaching career.
"That happened right after the NFL once I became injured. I figured out what I was going to do, start coaching high school football. So what I did from there; I went back and finished my degree, and have been coaching ever since," Clay said.
Now, in his coaching career, Clay drew from his time at Mizzou in order to be successful training up his high school athletes to perform the best they can, utilizing the same values with his players that were instilled in him by his coaches at Mizzou.
"Being accountable is a big deal to me, being where your supposed to be, on time, doing the right thing, trying to make a positive change, don't be a distraction," Clay said. "A lot of those little things, that you grow up with, they got reinforced at Missouri, and just took it from there."
While Clay still finds victories important, the most significant aspect of his job now is to build up his players into good people. The lessons he teaches are more important than the results of a simple game of football.
"Once we get the relationship going I want to start making changes in behavior you know like: why you're always late to school; why are you skipping classes; why are you in trouble, you know things of that nature. That's what I like about it right now," Clay said. "I'm older now I'm not in it to win a bunch of games. Of course I like winning. That's the competitive nature, but I like what I have to offer to the kids, which is a good thing"
Clay is still loosely involved with Mizzou football. Some of his players attend football camps at MU. Being enshrined into the Mizzou Hall of Fame for his on-field performance will be the resolution to a story over 30 years in the making.
"I've been through all the ups and downs," Clay said. "But, I'm always there for Mizzou."
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Clay is part of the 2019 Mizzou Athletics Hall of Fame class. He is one of six outstanding former University of Missouri athletic figures who have been selected for induction into Mizzou's Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame. They will represent the 29th induction class since the Hall's inception in 1990.
The class will be formally inducted Fri., Nov. 15, in a ceremony and celebration to be held that evening in Columbia. The group will also be recognized at the Mizzou Football home game the next day against Florida.
Tickets for the reception can be purchased through http://www.tsfmizzou.com/halloffame. If fans have questions, please mail (flakerl@missouri.edu) or call the Tiger Scholarship Fund office at (573) 882-0704.
