Texas prep coaching legend and Jacksonville native John Clark dies at 89
Feb. 2—Coach John Clark, a native of Jacksonville who went on to become the architect behind the Plano High School football dynasty in the 60s and 70s died on Sunday at the age of 89.
Clark, who was preceded in death by his wife, Sue, passed away at a Tyler care facility, according to his first cousin, Harry Tilley.
Clark is survived by his daughters Janet and Susan.
After graduating Jacksonville High School in the early 50s, Clark attended Lon Morris College, where he played on the school's basketball team.
After graduating from Lon Morris, Clark continued his education and basketball endeavors at Baylor University.
"When John left Baylor he was actually hired to coach basketball at Jacksonville," Tilley said. "He worked as a football assistant under (Jacksonville head football coach) Dick Sheffield, and from there he was hired at Plano."
From 1966-75 Clark led the Wildcats to a 107-17 record, which included state championships in 1967 and 1971. In addition, Clark-coached teams won nine district championships.
After hanging up his whistle in the mid 70s, Clark served as Plano Independent School District Athletic Director for 17 years.
Plano's success on the gridiron continued as the Wildcats won three state crowns under head coach Tom Kimbrough while Clark was athletic director.
Clark won a bevy of prestigious awards, including being inducted into the Texas High School Coaches Association Hall of Honor and having a new football stadium in Plano named after him in 1977.
Tilley, who grew up with Clark, said the words, "thorough" and "proud" could best be used to describe his cousin.
"I heard from Dick Sheffield that John would actually go out and scout the opponents and that his scouting reports were very thorough and were always accurate," Tilley said. "That's the kind of man he was; thorough in everything that he did."
During his time in Plano, Clark once built a home in a pecan orchard, Tilley recalled.
"He was real particular about his pecan trees," Tilley said. "He made sure that they were sprayed each year and that they were well taken care of.
"John was a proud man, whether it was coaching his football teams, growing pecans, or making some small wood work items that were hard to build, he did everything with a sense of pride" Tilley said.
Funeral services for Clark will take place at 2 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 6, in Plano. At 2 p.m. the following day a graveside service will be held at the Jacksonville City Cemetery.
