Michael Lutrell "Pinball" Clemons was born on January 15,1965 and is an American-Canadian sports executive and former running back and return specialist who serves as general manager for the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League.
35 Facts About Pinball Clemons
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Pinball Clemons is considered by many to be one of the greatest and most famous Argos players of all time, as well as one of the most popular professional athletes in the history of Toronto.
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Pinball Clemons was born and raised in Dunedin, Florida to an 18-year-old single mother, Anna Marie Bryant, who had just graduated from a segregated high school.
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Pinball Clemons started playing football at age 8 with the Dunedin Golden Eagles, a youth organization co-ordinated by the Police Athletic League.
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Pinball Clemons's mother was a heavy influence in him becoming a devout Christian as she was a clerk at a Baptist church in Dunedin.
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Pinball Clemons later formed a relationship with his father, Willie, during his college years.
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In 1987, Pinball Clemons was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League.
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When Clemons first joined the Toronto Argonauts in 1989, guest running backs coach Tom Cudney nicknamed him "Pinball" because of his running style.
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In 1990, Pinball Clemons received the CFL's Most Outstanding Player Award after setting a single season record for all-purpose yards.
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In 1997, Pinball Clemons surpassed his own single season all-purpose yards record from 1990 by recording 3,840 all-purpose yards.
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On September 15,2000, Pinball Clemons played his last ever game as an Argonaut.
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Pinball Clemons set single season single-season punt return yards, punt returns, and kickoff returns.
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Pinball Clemons amassed a career 25,438 combined yards during the regular season, a CFL record.
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In 2008, Pinball Clemons was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame.
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When offered the head coaching job by team general manager J I Albrecht, Clemons was reluctant to accept it, wanting to spend more time with his family.
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Pinball Clemons had the interim tag removed from his title at the end of the season.
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When Etcheverry was fired as head coach on September 17,2002, Pinball Clemons returned as head coach on an interim basis with 6 games remaining in the 2002 CFL season.
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Pinball Clemons was officially given the head coaching job again on December 17,2002, while relinquishing his role as team president.
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Pinball Clemons was nominated for the Annis Stukus Trophy every year from 2002 to 2007, coming up short each time.
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Pinball Clemons became the first black head coach to win a Grey Cup championship during that same Grey Cup game, while being the second black coach to ever guide his team to a pro football championship in North America.
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Pinball Clemons has the second most head coaching wins in Argonauts history with 67.
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From November 2001 to September 2002, Pinball Clemons served as the Toronto Argonauts President.
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Pinball Clemons ended his tenure as President to resume his second stint as the team's head coach.
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Pinball Clemons would relinquish his GM title to Adam Rita at the end of the season.
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On December 4,2007, Pinball Clemons stepped down as head coach of the Argonauts to become their new Chief Executive Officer.
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On that same day, Pinball Clemons was appointed the Vice-Chair of the team.
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On October 8,2019, Pinball Clemons was named as the new general manager of the team, replacing Jim Popp who was relieved of his GM duties with 4 games remaining in the 2019 Toronto Argonauts season.
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Pinball Clemons is a motivational speaker, making frequent public appearances throughout the community.
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Pinball Clemons is a partner of the children's brand Simply Kids, a line of diapers, baby food and healthcare products found in supermarkets across Canada and the United States.
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On March 23,2009, Pinball Clemons appeared on the CTV News @ 6 as a celebrity guest host to do the weather in celebration of Dave Devall's retirement.
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Pinball Clemons is currently working with Marc Kielburger and Craig Kielburger, founders of Free the Children, in an initiative to build schools and clean water systems in Africa.
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On November 14,2012, Pinball Clemons visited and gave a speech about life topics in Markham, Ontario for York Regional District School Board's annual QUEST Forum to promote Student Achievement and Well-Being.
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On February 28,2014, Pinball Clemons visited the Scouts Canada National Leadership summit to speak about teamwork and working as one team to kick off the new program and strategic plan announcement.
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Pinball Clemons was recognized on February 10,2017 by the College of William and Mary, his alma mater, with an honorary degree during Charter Day ceremonies, where he was principal speaker.
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Michael "Pinball" Clemons has received honorary degrees from several universities.