Duane Clemons

Duane Clemons

No. 92, 99
Position:	Defensive end
Personal information
Born:	(1974-05-23) May 23, 1974 (age 50) Riverside, California, U.S.
Career information
High school:	John W. North (Riverside)
College:	California
NFL draft:	1996 / round: 1 / pick: 16
Career history
Minnesota Vikings (1996–1999) Kansas City Chiefs (2000–2002) Cincinnati Bengals (2003–2005) Toronto Argonauts (2008)*
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
Second-team All-American (1995) First-team All-Pac-10 (1995)
Career NFL statistics
Tackles: 337 Sacks: 49.5 Fumble recoveries: 11 Stats at Pro Football Reference

Duane Anthony Clemons^[1] (born May 23, 1974^[2]) is an American former professional football player who was a defensive end in the National Football League (NFL) between 1996 and 2005.^[3] He played college football for the California Golden Bears and was selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the first round of the 1996 NFL draft .^[4]

He finished his NFL career with 49.5 sacks. Despite struggling to see the field as a starter (16 starts in 4 years with Minnesota), Clemons proved a very capable sack artist. In 1997, he finished with 7.0 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, and 24 tackles. In 1999, he finished with a career-best 9.0 sacks and 36 tackles.

On November 10, 1999, Clemons was fined $7,500 for intentionally punching Flozell Adams in the testes^[5] following an interception two days earlier during a Monday Night Football game against the Dallas Cowboys.^[6] While Adams maintained that he didn't know why Clemons punched him, Clemons stated that he threw the punch because Adams illegally took him down from behind on an interception return.^[7]

In 2000, he went to the Kansas City Chiefs, where he finished with 7.5 sacks and a career-best 56 tackles. The next year, 2001, he finished with 7.0 sacks and 48 tackles. In 2003, he found himself with the Cincinnati Bengals, where he recorded 6.0 sacks, a career-best 4 pass deflections, and 42 tackles. In 2004, he finished with 6.5 sacks and 49 tackles.

On September 8, 2008, Clemons signed with the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League^[8] and was assigned to their practice roster, but was released by the team on September 15, 2008.^[9] He is currently the defensive line coach for the MidAmerica Nazarene University Pioneers.

References

1. "Duane Clemons". pro-football-reference.com. Retrieved September 24, 2008.
2. "Duane Clemons". nfl.com. Retrieved September 24, 2008.
3. "Duane Clemons". databasefootball.com. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved September 24, 2008.
4. "1996 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
5. Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "duane clemons punches flozell adams". YouTube. March 16, 2016.
6. "ESPN.com - NFL - Clemons punched Cowboys' Adams below belt".
7. "Big Blue bull's-eye on Cowboys lineman Flozell Adams". New York Daily News. September 27, 2009.
8. "ARGOS ADD NINE". September 8, 2008. Archived from the original on September 19, 2008. Retrieved September 24, 2008.
9. "Argonauts add former East all-star Strickland". cbc.ca. September 15, 2008. Retrieved September 24, 2008.