Clarence Peaks

Clarence Earl Peaks (September 23, 1935 – March 31, 2007) was an American professional football fullback in the National Football League (NFL) for the Philadelphia Eagles and Pittsburgh Steelers. He played college football at Michigan State University and was selected in the first round (seventh overall) of the 1957 NFL draft. He attended Flint Central High School in Flint, Michigan. He starred in football, basketball and baseball in high school. He was an outstanding quarterback, and excelled in passing, rushing, and as a punter. He was team co-captain, made the All-Valley Football All-Star Team, and was honorable mention All-State at quarterback. He played football under coach Howard Auer.

As a baseball player, he batted in the cleanup position. As a basketball player, he was second on the team in scoring, and was voted team co-captain in 1953. In the same year, Peaks was voted Most Valuable Player, and was named an All-Valley guard. He played football under College Football Hall of Fame coach Duffy Daugherty. He played halfback, and also punted.

He had a 7.1 yards per attempt rushing average in 1954. In 1955, he rushed for 376 yards averaging 4.6 yards per carry.

Peaks was part of one of the most renowned plays in Rose Bowl history. The 1956 Rose Bowl (played on January 2, 1956) was between MSU and the University of California at Los Angeles Bruins (UCLA). UCLA was the reigning college football champion. MSU defeated UCLA 17–14.

MSU's quarterback was future NFL star Earl Morrall. During the Rose Bowl, Peaks took a lateral from Morall, and threw a 67-touchdown pass; the longest touchdown pass in Rose Bowl history at the time. Peaks also caught a 13-yard touchdown pass from Morrall in the game.

Peaks was among the favorites to win the 1956 Heisman Trophy, until he was injured.

Professional career The Philadelphia Eagles selected Peaks, 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) and 218 pounds (98 kg), in the first round of the 1957 NFL draft (7th overall).

He was having his best season for the Eagles in 1960, the year the Eagles were NFL champions, when he suffered a broken leg in the team's seventh game that ended his season. He had rushed for 465 yards, averaging 5.4 yards per attempt, and scored three touchdowns up to that point. In 1964, he had his best rushing average (4.3) since his 1960 injury. He played sparingly in 1965 for the Steelers, his final season.

NFL career statistics Legend Won the NFL championship Bold Career high

Year Team Games Rushing Receiving GP GS Att Yds Avg Lng TD Rec Yds Avg Lng TD 1957 PHI 12 12 125 495 4.0 35 1 11 99 9.0 53 0 1958 PHI 11 11 115 386 3.4 23 3 29 248 8.6 33 2 1959 PHI 12 6 124 451 3.6 34 3 28 209 7.5 23 0 1960 PHI 7 6 86 465 5.4 57 3 14 116 8.3 34 0 1961 PHI 13 11 135 471 3.5 33 5 32 472 14.8 48 0 1962 PHI 14 13 137 447 3.3 48 3 39 347 8.9 27 0 1963 PHI 14 6 64 212 3.3 26 1 22 167 7.6 23 1 1964 PIT 12 8 118 503 4.3 70 2 12 113 9.4 41 0 1965 PIT 10 5 47 230 4.9 36 0 3 22 7.3 21 0 Career 105 78 951 3,660 3.8 70 21 190 1,793 9.4 53 3

Personal life After his playing career, Peaks worked for General Electric and was a sportscaster. He worked for WHAT in Philadelphia for two years and WAMO in Pittsburgh for one. In 1969, he became the radio color commentator for Eagles games on WIP, and a television analyst for ABC. He was inducted into the Greater Flint African American Sports Hall of Fame in 1991.

Death In 2007, Peaks died at the age of 71 in Voorhees, New Jersey. He was buried in Philadelphia.