Football: Gee-Gees grad to make CFL debut

Cornerback Delroy Clarke is set to realize the rare dream of playing in the CFL for his hometown team -- and that's about only half the story.

Clarke is apparently going to suit up for the first time in the regular season on Friday for the Toronto Argonauts, listed as the backup to cornerback Byron Parker. The Argos, whom as you know are 4-6, and just made a coaching change, are looking to get younger on defence.

There's a bit of the only-in-Canada to how Clarke got there. He spent his early years in Jamaica playing the rest of the world's football. His introduction to the North American version came ntirely through watching the NFL on TV. He before he and his father, also named Delroy Clarke, moved from Jamaica to Whitby, east of Toronto, during his teens. He was pretty fair soccer player, bound for the NCAA until a knee injury prevented him from going south on a soccer scholarship. He ended up taking up football at the behest of some of his friends. Now he's in the CFL -- and the journey's only begun for him, as a Canadian playing a position that for many years, was the domain of U.S. imports.

(A huge glove tap to a media friend who sent along word ... cross-posted to Out of Left Field.)
Next PostNewer Post Previous PostOlder Post Home

0 comments:

Post a Comment