View source for Clem Daniels

{{Short description|American football player (1937–2019)}}
{{Use American English|date=August 2019}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox NFL biography
| name          = Clem Daniels
| image         =
| image_size    = 
| alt           = 
| caption       = 
| number        = 36, 35, 33
| position      = [[Halfback (American football)|Halfback]]
| birth_date    = {{Birth date |1937|07|09|mf=y}}
| birth_place   = [[McKinney, Texas]], U.S.
| death_date    = {{Death date and age|2019|3|23|1937|7|9|mf=y}}
| death_place   = [[Oakland, California]], U.S.
| height_ft     = 6
| height_in     = 1
| weight_lb     = 220
| high_school   = Edward Sewell Daly (McKinney)
| college       = [[Prairie View A&M Panthers football|Prairie View A&M]] (1956–1959)
| aflundraftedyear = 1960
| pastteams     =
* [[Dallas Texans (AFL)|Dallas Texans]] ([[1960 American Football League season|1960]])
* [[Oakland Raiders]] ([[1961 American Football League season|1961]]–[[1967 American Football League season|1967]])
* [[San Francisco 49ers]] ({{NFL Year|1968}})
| highlights    =
* [[American Football League playoffs|AFL champion]] ([[1967 American Football League Championship Game|1967]])
* [[American Football League Most Valuable Players|AFL Most Valuable Player]] (1963)
* 2× First-team [[American Football League All-League Team|All-AFL]] ([[1963 All-AFL Team|1963]], [[1966 All-AFL Team|1966]])
* 2× Second-team All-AFL ([[1964 All-AFL Team|1964]], [[1965 All-AFL Team|1965]])
* 4× [[American Football League All-Star game|AFL All-Star]] (1963–1966)
* [[List of American Football League rushing champions|AFL rushing yards leader]] (1963)
* [[American Football League All-Time Team|AFL All-Time Team]]
| statleague    = AFL/NFL
| statlabel1    = Rushing yards
| statvalue1    = 5,138
| statlabel2    = Rushing average
| statvalue2    = 4.5
| statlabel3    = Rushing [[touchdown]]s
| statvalue3    = 30
| statlabel4    = [[Reception (gridiron football)|Receptions]]
| statvalue4    = 203
| statlabel5    = Receiving yards
| statvalue5    = 3,314
| statlabel6    = Receiving touchdowns
| statvalue6    = 24
| statlabel7    = 
| statvalue7    = 
| statlabel8    = 
| statvalue8    = 
| pfr           = D/DaniCl00 
}}

'''Clemon Daniels Jr.'''<ref>{{Cite web |title=Clem Daniels Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft, College |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/D/DaniCl00.htm |access-date=2023-12-30 |website=[[Pro Football Reference]] |language=en}}</ref> (July 9, 1937 – March 23, 2019) was an American professional [[American football|football]] player who was a [[halfback (American football)|halfback]] in the [[American Football League]] (AFL) and [[National Football League]] (NFL).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.databasefootball.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=DANIECLE01 |title=Clem Daniels |access-date=October 21, 2008 |publisher=databasefootball.com |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090912185535/http://www.databasefootball.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=DANIECLE01 |archive-date=September 12, 2009 }}</ref> He played [[college football]] for the [[Prairie View A&M Panthers football|Prairie View A&M Panthers]].

==College career==
Daniels attended Doty High School, an all-black school in [[McKinney, Texas]]. His mother worked as a housekeeper to a bank chairman but one moment that stuck with Daniels was after a celebration of his scholarship offer to [[Prairie View A&M University]]. She told him that the next time he came by the chairman's house, he was to come through the back door.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-08-08 |title=Raiders' Clem Daniels was more than just a football player |url=https://www.reviewjournal.com/sports/raiders/raiders-clem-daniels-was-more-than-just-a-football-player-2090969/ |access-date=2024-01-11 |website=Las Vegas Review-Journal |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-03-27 |title=Remembering Raiders legend Clem Daniels, the AFL's all-time leading rusher |url=https://www.nbcsportsbayarea.com/nfl/remembering-raiders-legend-clem-daniels-the-afls-all-time-leading-rusher/1330011/ |access-date=2024-01-11 |website=NBC Sports Bay Area & California |language=en-US}}</ref>

At [[Prairie View A&M University]], he was voted to All-Conference honors during his sophomore and junior years, and he captained the [[NAIA National Football Championship]] team in his senior year.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.summitbankfoundation.com/boardofdirectors_bio.php?boardid=17 |title=Clem Daniels |access-date=October 21, 2008 |publisher=summitbankfoundation.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070330084621/http://www.summitbankfoundation.com/boardofdirectors_bio.php?boardid=17 |archive-date=March 30, 2007 }}</ref>

He also completed the Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) Program at Prairie View A&M, later being a commissioned officer in the [[United States Army Reserve]].

==Professional career==
Daniels was signed as a [[free agent]] in 1960 by the AFL's [[History of the Kansas City Chiefs|Dallas Texans]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.raidersonline.org/clem-daniels.php |title=Clem Danials |access-date=October 21, 2008 |publisher=raidersonline.org |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080724162323/http://www.raidersonline.org/clem-daniels.php |archive-date=July 24, 2008 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.black-collegian.com/news/archives/daniels805.shtml |title=Prairie View A&M University's National Alumni Association Elects New President |access-date=October 21, 2008 |publisher=black-collegian.com |year=2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071029143326/http://www.black-collegian.com/news/archives/daniels805.shtml |archive-date=October 29, 2007 }}</ref> who, like other [[American Football League|AFL]] teams recruited players from small and [[Black players in American professional football|predominantly black]] colleges, following the lead of the NFL which had been drafting HBCU schools since 1950.<ref>{{cite web | title=HBCU Players Drafted to the NFL from 1950-1959 | date=February 7, 2024 | url=https://clutchpoints.com/hbcu-players-drafted-to-the-nfl-from-1950-1959 }}</ref>{{Contradictory inline|date=July 2025|reason=see talk page}}  He was on the Texans' roster for 14 games in 1960, but saw little playing time behind [[Abner Haynes]]. He saw a handful of returns while also playing the defensive side of the ball. In his first game against the Oakland Raiders on September 16, he recorded an interception for his very first statistic. He recorded two more interceptions on the year while returning nine kicks for 162 yards.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Clem Daniels 1960 Game Log |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/D/DaniCl00.htm |access-date=2024-01-11 |website=[[Pro Football Reference]] |language=en}}</ref>

In 1961, he was traded to the AFL's [[History of the Oakland Raiders|Oakland Raiders]], and spent seven years there. He was given a varying level of touches that year. He scored his first touchdown against Buffalo on December 3. In total, he ran for 154 yards on 31 carries for two touchdowns.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Clem Daniels 1961 Game Log |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/D/DaniCl00.htm |access-date=2024-01-11 |website=[[Pro Football Reference]] |language=en}}</ref> On opening day against the New York Titans on September 9, 1962, Daniels had his first 100-yard game in a 28–17 loss, doing so on 10 carries. He got his first multi-touchdown game on November 4 with two rushing touchdowns against the Titans. He topped that performance on December 9 with a 187-yard performance for 20 carries and a touchdown in a 32–17 loss. He ran for 766 yards on the season on 161 carries with eight touchdowns (seven rushing).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Clem Daniels 1962 Game Log |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/D/DaniCl00.htm |access-date=2024-01-11 |website=[[Pro Football Reference]] |language=en}}</ref> Daniels and the Raiders improved greatly in 1963, the first of four straight [[American Football League All-Star game|American Football League All-Star]] seasons for him. During the year, he made his opposition known to playing a preseason game in [[Mobile, Alabama]]. The result was that the game was played in Oakland instead. Daniels had rushed for less than 200 yards combined in his first five games, but he went off against the New York Jets with a 200-yard performance that saw him score twice on 27 carries while also catching a pass for 56 yards for another touchdown in a 49–26 win. He had three more 100-yard rushing games to finish the year with 1,098 yards while scoring three rushing touchdowns and five touchdown receptions. He led the league in rushing yards along with yards per game (78.5), scrimmage yards (1,785), and with his 685 yards receiving on 30 catches also led in yards per reception (22.8).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Clem Daniels 1963 Game Log |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/D/DaniCl00.htm |access-date=2024-01-11 |website=[[Pro Football Reference]] |language=en}}</ref> Daniels was one of three players named MVP of the AFL, as [[Associated Press]], UPI, and [[Sporting News|The Sporting News]] each selected a different player: [[Lance Alworth]] was named the UPI MVP while AP named [[Tobin Rote]] and Daniels was named the ''[[Sporting News]]''  [[American Football League Most Valuable Players|American Football League Player of the Year]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.raidersonline.org/clem-daniels.php |title=Clem Daniels |access-date=October 21, 2008 |publisher=raidersonline.org |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080724162323/http://www.raidersonline.org/clem-daniels.php |archive-date=July 24, 2008 }}</ref>

Daniels regressed the following year, which notably saw him rush for -1 yard on opening day against Boston. However, he ran for 824 yards on 173 carries with two touchdowns while catching 42 passes for 696 yards with six touchdowns.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Clem Daniels 1964 Game Log |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/D/DaniCl00.htm |access-date=2024-01-11 |website=[[Pro Football Reference]] |language=en}}</ref> The following year, he ran for 884 yards on 219 carries for five touchdowns while also catching 36 passes for 568 yards with seven touchdowns. In the All-Star Game that year that was targeted for play in [[American Football League All-Star game#The 1965 boycott|January 1965]], Daniels served as a key voice in a boycott called by him and other fellow black players from playing the game in [[New Orleans]] due to discrimination, such as being refused service by a number of New Orleans hotels and businesses. The game was successfully moved to [[Houston]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Clem Daniels 1965 Game Log |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/D/DaniCl00.htm |access-date=2024-01-11 |website=[[Pro Football Reference]] |language=en}}</ref> Daniels ran for 801 yards on 204 carries in 1966 while scoring ten total touchdowns in his final All-Star selected year; in back-to-back weeks (October 30, November 6), he scored three touchdowns each.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Clem Daniels Career Game Log |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/D/DaniCl00.htm |access-date=2024-01-11 |website=[[Pro Football Reference]] |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Clem Daniels 1966 Game Log |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/D/DaniCl00.htm |access-date=2024-01-11 |website=[[Pro Football Reference]] |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.summitbankfoundation.com/boardofdirectors_bio.php?boardid=17 |title=Clem Daniels |access-date=October 21, 2008 |publisher=summitbankfoundation.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070330084621/http://www.summitbankfoundation.com/boardofdirectors_bio.php?boardid=17 |archive-date=March 30, 2007 }}</ref> Daniels ran for 575 yards on 130 carries with four touchdowns before he broke his leg in the November 23 game against the [[Kansas City Chiefs]].<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2019-03-26 |title=Former Raiders star Clem Daniels dies at 83; if you only know about his football prowess, you're missing out |url=https://www.mercurynews.com/2019/03/26/former-raider-clem-daniels-dies-at-83-if-you-only-know-about-his-football-prowess-youre-missing-out/ |access-date=2024-01-11 |website=The Mercury News |language=en-US}}</ref> He missed the rest of the season, which saw the Raiders go all the way to [[Super Bowl II]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Clem Daniels 1967 Game Log |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/D/DaniCl00.htm |access-date=2024-01-11 |website=[[Pro Football Reference]] |language=en}}</ref> Daniels played sparingly in the 1968 season with the [[San Francisco 49ers]], running for just 37 yards on 12 carries. He caught two passes for 23 yards in what became his final season.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Clem Daniels 1968 Game Log |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/D/DaniCl00.htm |access-date=2024-01-11 |website=[[Pro Football Reference]] |language=en}}</ref>

==Post playing career==
Daniels had spent his off-seasons teaching high school students in Dallas and Oakland. Daniels bought his first tavern in 1967. He soon became a member of the California State Packing Store and Tavern Owners Association (CAL-PAC). He later became president of the organization during a conflict with [[Huey Newton]] and the [[Black Panthers]]. Conversations with Newton eventually led to a CAL-PAC scholarship program for high school students in the Bay Area.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Raider Nation mourns Clem Daniels, champion, teacher and community pillar |url=https://www.raiders.com/news/raider-nation-mourns-clem-daniels-champion-teacher-and-community-pillar |access-date=2024-01-11 |website=Las Vegas Raiders |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Legacy==
Daniels retired as the all-time leading rusher in the American Football League with 5,138 yards. He was selected to the [[American Football League All-Time Team|All-Time All-AFL Team]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.conigliofamily.com/AFLAllTimeTeam.htm |title=American Football League ALL – TIME TEAM |access-date=October 21, 2008 |publisher=remembertheafl.com }}</ref> He was the all-time leading rusher for the Raiders until he was passed by [[Mark van Eeghen]] over a decade after his retirement. Only two players have passed Daniels since then in [[Marcus Allen]] and [[Josh Jacobs]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Las Vegas Raiders Career Rushing Leaders |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/rai/career-rushing.htm |access-date=2024-01-11 |website=[[Pro Football Reference]] |language=en}}</ref>

Daniels was voted into the Prairie View A&M University Sports Hall of Fame in 1989 and the California Black Athletic Hall of Fame in 1993. He was inducted into the Texas Football Hall of Fame in 1999.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://theraidercast.com/photos/album/72157605455932555/photo/2553760917/grid-iron-greats-autograph-show-clem-daniels.html |title=Clem Daniels |access-date=October 21, 2008 |publisher=theraidercast.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081121063339/http://theraidercast.com/photos/album/72157605455932555/photo/2553760917/grid-iron-greats-autograph-show-clem-daniels.html |archive-date=November 21, 2008 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Clem Daniels (1989) - Prairie View A&M University Sports Hall Of Fame |url=https://pvpanthers.com/honors/prairie-view-am-university-sports-hall-of-fame/clem-daniels/37 |access-date=2024-01-11 |website=Prairie View A&M University Athletics |language=en}}</ref> [[Ron Wolf]] called Daniels “without doubt, the best halfback in the American Football League during his time...The thing that made Clem so good was his overall athletic ability. He ran a 4.6-40 in full gear, which was amazing for a guy his size.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Judge |first=Clark |date=2020-09-15 |title=State Your Case: Clem Daniels, "the best back in the AFL during his time" |url=https://talkoffametwo.com/state-your-case/clem-daniels-and-hall-of-fame |access-date=2024-01-11 |website=Talk Of Fame |language=en}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

{{1960 Dallas Texans}}
{{1967 Oakland Raiders}}
{{List of AFL MVPs}}
{{American Football League rushing yards leaders}}
{{AFL1960s}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Daniels, Clem}}
[[Category:1937 births]]
[[Category:2019 deaths]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Texas]]
[[Category:Players of American football from McKinney, Texas]]
[[Category:American football running backs]]
[[Category:American football return specialists]]
[[Category:Prairie View A&M Panthers football players]]
[[Category:Dallas Texans (AFL) players]]
[[Category:Oakland Raiders players]]
[[Category:San Francisco 49ers players]]
[[Category:American Football League All-Star players]]
[[Category:American Football League Most Valuable Players]]
[[Category:American Football League rushing leaders]]
[[Category:American Football League All-Time Team]]
[[Category:American Football League players]]
[[Category:United States Army officers]]