As a Loveland football recruit for Central State University in September of 1967 I escaped the drudgery of two a day conditioning and practices by riding into Xenia one Friday night to watch the local high school football game. Xenia was playing a school named P-I-Q-U-A, which I had never heard of before. I can’t recall who won that football game but I’ll never forget the performance I witnessed by one player in particular who was on the Piqua team. I had never before seen someone with the speed and fluidity of motion run to the ball with total abandonment and yet controlled purposefulness while perpetrating an assault upon the ball carrier. This player was not just coming up and hitting people but the punishment he was delivering could not only be heard in the stands but made spectators wince and cringe with a sympathetic awareness of the painful experience endured by those he targeted. The public address announcer throughout the night would bring personal familiarity to his football exploits by saying in one form or another, stopped by, tackled by, fumble recovered by and touchdown scored by and the name that I was hearing over and over was Piqua’s Craig Clemons. GOD only knew then but several years later I would again be recruited-this time as a CSU graduate to teach at Piqua High School. This past week the role of the public announcer was being played by the Piqua Daily Call, trumpeting the announcement that our own Piquad, Craig Clemons, was honored with induction into the University of Iowa Athletic Hall of Fame. Craig Clemons continued his gridiron assaults after PHS, at Iowa and despite playing at a time when Hawkeye football was often in the cellar of the Big Ten, Clemons distinguished himself and won All-American honors before his draft to the NFL by the Chicago Bears. I didn’t know Craig in his glory years of high school Friday nights, college Saturdays and pro Sundays but I have gotten to know and enjoy a friendship with him and his family. Even in the down years with personal flaws exposed Craig continued to have an imposing and personable disposition. Craig could rob a bank, return to the scene and tearfully confess and then fill out a loan application and get it approved. His personality off the field was just as dominant as the terror he imposed while on the gridiron. You just can’t help but like this guy. His wife Teresa, possesses saintly qualities and many would identify her as the better half even if the term is a misnomer or not agreed to by her husband. Their children Stephanie and Jonathan were my students. Jonathan was athletic like his father but talented academically and culturally gifted. His starring role in a PHS musical was something I’ll never forget and served as a model of acceptance to his football peers. Stephanie was even a baby sitter for our children. When Clem comes home and visits family, he often comes to Sunday School to harass me as the teacher and he frequently calls to challenge my thinking on this scripture or that Christian principle. When coming to Piqua he often attends morning worship services at Greater Love and even contributes cheerfully and regularly to the financial support of the church home that he grew up in when he isn’t able to come. With little fanfare he participates with charitable organizations that allow him to use his voice of inspiration or to encourage our youth and give back to the community. I invited him to be our PROD Speaker at the 2007 Doug Smith Memorial Banquet. The thing that he spoke about then and that I love most about Craig is that he never has forgotten from whence he came and his love of his ancestors has been so valued that he never is ashamed to show the level of his endearment for those whose shoulders he stood upon in advancing him to the elevated heights that he now enjoys as a result of their sacrifice. Craig GOD loves you, and so do I. CONGRATUATIONS!
Posted on: Thu, 12 Sep 2013 14:46:20 +0000
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