Part of a devastating one-two running back punch, Darnell Clark rushed for more than 1,000 yards twice in his career and helped lead the Penguins to National Championships in 1991 and 1993.
For his career, Clark rushed for 2,533 yards on 458 carries and scored 29 touchdowns. Of his totals, 395 carries, 2,177 yards and 25 touchdowns came in his final two campaigns. He had 3,471 all-purpose yards in his career.
During his four years at YSU, the Penguins went 47-9-1 and played in three National Championship Games, winning twice.
In 1993, Clark rushed for a career-high 1,166 yards on 187 carries and scored 13 touchdowns. It was his second straight 1,000-yard campaign. He averaged an impressive 6.2 yards per rush. He returned 26 kickoffs for 608 yards and caught 11 passes for 48 yards.
Against Marshall in the 1993 title game, Clark had a huge momentum-grabbing run on the contest’s second play. Just 33 seconds into the game, Clark scored on a 50-yard run, and the Penguins never looked back in the 17-5 win. He had 88 yards on 11 carries.
In the opening round of the playoffs, he rushed for 92 yards on 13 attempts and had two touchdowns in the win over Central Florida. In the semifinals vs. Idaho, Clark rushed for 62 yards on 12 attempts and had a touchdown.
He had three 100-yard plus rushing games during the campaign, highlighted by a 144-yard performance at Eastern Kentucky.
He had a three-touchdown performance in the win over Delaware State and had nine carries for 114 yards and two scores against Liberty. In a win at Akron, Clark rushed for two touchdowns and had 80 yards on 13 carries.
As a junior in 1992, he went over the 1,000-yard mark for the first time in his career rushing for 1,011 yards on a career-high 208 carries. He had 12 rushing touchdowns during the season, scoring touchdowns in eight contests. He had four receptions for 52 yards and returned seven kickoffs for 162 yards.
He had two 100-yard rushing games, highlighted by an impressive performance against Ohio. Clark had a career-high 178 yards on 19 carries against the Bobcats and scored three touchdowns, including runs of 51 and 39 yards. Against James Madison, Clark had 125 yards on 17 carries and scored twice, including a career-long 62-yard run.
In the playoffs he rushed for 67 yards on 16 carries and had a 32-yard scoring run against Villanova. In the quarterfinals at the Citadel, he had 19 carries for 97 yards and scored two touchdowns. The Penguins advanced to the NCAA Championship Game falling to Marshall.
In 1991, Clark rushed for 331 yards on 60 rushes and scored four touchdowns. He had a season-high 58 yards rushing and scored two touchdowns against Slippery Rock. He finished with 17 carries for 57 yards against Morgan State. Clark’s longest run of the season was a 41-yard score at Delaware State.
In the playoffs, he had 11 carries for 48 yards in the semifinal victory over Samford. In the National Championship Game, Clark had four carries for 23 yards against Marshall, a 25-17 YSU win.
In 12 games in 1990, he rushed for 25 yards on three carries.
He graduated from YSU with a degree in education and later earned his masters in education from Ashland University.
A native of Canton, he was a standout football player at Canton McKinley High School.
Clark is currently working in Hazmat Transportation.
