Darryl Clack “Football is a sport that takes dedication. You have to be willing to not only take the positives but also realize there are negatives that come with this game and to not let that hold you back but always strive to get better.”
Q. Thanks for interviewing with us tell us who you are and where you’re from? A. I’m Darryl Clack. I’m from San Antonio, TX. Q. How was your experience playing for Dallas Cowboys? A. My experience playing for the Dallas Cowboys was a dream come true. I was actually living out my childhood dream. It was an honor to be a part of the Dallas Cowboys and to be on the same field with players I grew up watching. Tony Dorsett, Tony Hill, Too Tall Jones, Randy White, Danny White, and Everson Walls are a few of many, and being part of the Cowboys family with Roger Staubach, Drew Pearson, Bob “The Bullet” Hayes, Ron Springs, and Robert Newhouse was the cherry on top. Q. Tell us about your new memoir “Hear My Story Before I Forget” and the motivation behind it? A. “Hear My Story Before I Forget” is my therapeutic journey that chronicles my journey of my life from college and pro football to life after football, my traumatic fight to stay alive and my renewed strength in Christ. I wrote this memoir to bring awareness to TTP and mental health in hopes that my story will
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encourage and inspire people going through or coping with similar ailments. I wrote it so that parents of aspiring football players will know the signs of concussion, and I also feel that it’s my duty to make the readers aware of available treatments and therapy options. Q. You also had a near death experience and life threating illness that you were fighting can you tell us more about it and how you never gave up? A. On October 10, 2016, my life changed drastically. While on vacation with my family I was rushed to Tri-City Medical Center in Oceanside, CA, after suffering a stroke and falling into a coma brought on by acquired Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (TTP), a rare blood disorder where blood clots form in small blood vessels throughout the body. The clots can limit or block the flow of oxygen-rich blood to the body & organs, such as the brain, kidneys, and heart. While in a coma I could hear friends and family telling me to fight. And that’s what I did. When I awoke from the coma, I had a lot of work to do. I had to learn how to walk and talk again. I was determined to get my life back, so I pushed hard as if I was working out on a football field. It paid off because eventually I was
released from the hospital as an outpatient and stayed in therapy for months until my doctor released me. Q. Also, can you tell us about “SportMetric” and how you got started? A. SportMetric is a company that emphasizes education, community involvement, and athletics for the youth. We’re devoted to helping studentathletes achieve success in three key areas of their lives—Academics, Community involvement, and Athletics— three keys that form the ACA model of excellence. I attended a Dyslexia fundraising event hosted by a former NFL player friend. During the event, I had a casual conversation with a guy where we discussed our lives, goals, where we were from, and more. He was a Dallas Cowboy fan from Texas and a retired army man who worked in the mental health field. As we talked, I realized we had many similarities. I’m a Cowboy fan and former player, I’m from Texas, and I’m an army brat. Through our conversation, we realized that we were both interested in hosting youth football camps, and speaking
