Steve Clarkson

{{Short description|American football player and coach (born 1961)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}} {{Infobox CFL biography | name = Steve Clarkson | image =  | alt = | caption = | import = yes | high_school = Wilson (Los Angeles, California) | college = San Jose State | height_ft = 6 | height_in = 0 | weight_lbs = 205 | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1961|10|31}} | birth_place = Los Angeles, California, U.S. |playing_years1 = 1983–1984 |playing_team1 = Saskatchewan Roughriders (CFL) |statlabel1 = Passes attempted-pass completed |statvalue1 = 1-4 |statlabel2 = Percentage |statvalue2 = 25.0% |statlabel3 = Passing yards |statvalue3 = 0 |statlabel4 = TD–INT |statvalue4 = 0-0 |statlabel5 = Passer rating |statvalue5 = 92.9 }}

'''Steven Levert "Steve" Clarkson''' (born October 31, 1961)<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.justsportsstats.com/footballstatsindex.php?player_id=clarkste005| title = Steve Clarkson football statistics on StatsCrew.com}} </ref> is an American football coach. Based in Pasadena, California,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2012/10/15/121015fa_fact_mcgrath|title=Head Start|last=McGrath|first=Ben|date=15 October 2012|work=The New Yorker|access-date=23 November 2013}}</ref> he is considered a top quarterback coach.<ref name="USA Today">{{cite news |first=David Leon |last=Moore |title=Parents pay dearly to coach kids for stardom |url=https://www.usatoday.com/educate/college/firstyear/casestudies/20040106-coaching.pdf |work=USA Today |date=2002-07-26 |access-date=2008-02-19 }}</ref><ref name="NewYorker">{{cite web|url=http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2012/10/15/121015fa_fact_mcgrath|title=Steve Clarkson grooms future quarterbacks for the pros.|last=Clarkson|first=Steve|date=15 October 2012|work=The New Yorker|access-date=30 November 2013}}</ref> Clarkson has tutored Ben Roethlisberger, Brett Hundley, Matt Leinart, J. P. Losman, Gino Torretta, Matt Barkley, Tim Tebow, Josh Freeman, and Jimmy Clausen, among others.<ref name=SI020508>Arash Markazi, [https://web.archive.org/web/20080208131823/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/arash_markazi/02/04/barkley.usc/index.html Fully committed], SI.com, February 5, 2008.</ref><ref name=ESPN040108>Christopher Lawlor, [https://www.espn.com/college-sports/recruiting/football/columns/story?columnist=lawlor_christopher&id=3295434 Grounded in faith, Barkley leads the way for Mater Dei], ESPN.com, April 1, 2008.</ref> Clarkson is also known for helping to get offers for David Sills from University of Southern California and Tate Martell from the University of Washington at ages of 13. David Sills currently plays for the Atlanta Falcons after signing as a UDFA.

== Early life == Clarkson is a 1979 graduate of Woodrow Wilson High School in Los Angeles, where he led its team to three Los Angeles City Championships with a 39-1 record during three seasons. Clarkson was named to the All-City teams during his junior and senior seasons, and was the All-City Player of the Year in 1978 after leading the state in passing yards and total offense.

== College career == Clarkson later was a three-year starter for coach Jack Elway at San José State University, where he holds several passing records and was named to the Academic All-American teams in 1981 and 1982.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://steveclarksondreammaker.com/steves-story/|title=Steve's Story|publisher=Steve Clarkson Dreammaker|access-date=30 November 2013}}</ref>

After going undrafted in the 1983 NFL draft, Clarkson played a season for the Denver Broncos and two seasons for the Canadian Football League's Saskatchewan Roughriders in 1983 and 1984.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/high-school/football/story/_/id/3546474/the-education-qb/|title=The Education of a QB|last=Mahoney|first=Jon|date=9 September 2008|publisher=ESPN Rise/Football|access-date=17 November 2013}}</ref> He then became a district manager for a steakhouse chain, before turning to football coaching.<ref name="ESPN">{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/espnmag/story?section=magazine&id=3576332&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab2pos2|title=The Guy Behind the Guy Behind Center|last=Grant|first=Alan|date=8 September 2008|publisher=ESPN Insider|access-date=17 November 2013}}</ref>

== Coaching ==

=== Programs ===

Clarkson initially founded "Air 7", a quarterback academy, that offers tutoring to players in high school and younger.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/02/sports/ncaafootball/02quarterbacks.html|title=Quarterbacks' Seal of Approval: Made in the USA|last=Thamel|first=Pete |author-link=Pete Thamel |date=2 October 2004|work=The New York Times|access-date=23 November 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://seattletimes.com/html/huskyfootballblog/2018773088__finally_since_this_is.html|title=More on Tate Martell|last=Condotta|first=Bob|date=25 July 2012|publisher=The Seattle Times|access-date=18 November 2013}}</ref> Clarkson has since coached more than 200 Division I-A quarterback starters.<ref name="SI">{{cite news|url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1138938/index.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120929055212/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1138938/index.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 29, 2012|title=The School Where Everyone Passes|last=Jenkins|first=Lee|date=2 June 2008|publisher=Sports Illustrated|access-date=23 November 2013}}</ref> Including other positions, Air 7 has produced about 80 I-A starters.<ref name="USA Today" />

Clarkson's quarterback academy is now called Steve Clarkson Dreammaker. Initially offering quarterback training to youth, high school and college players, Clarkson soon began to train professional players as well. Clarkson has since been described by ESPN as "the most powerful QB coach in football."<ref name="ESPN" />

Clarkson organizes various football camps and programs, such as the Super 7 program held in different cities.<ref name="SI" /><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/kurtbadenhausen/2012/05/24/qb-guru-steve-clarkson-can-make-your-kid-a-football-star/|title=QB Guru Steve Clarkson Can Make Your Kid A Football Star|last=Badenhausen|first=Kurt|date=24 May 2012|work=Forbes|access-date=23 November 2013}}</ref> His training has been noted for involving significant classroom sessions in addition to on-field training.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/college-sports/recruiting/football/news/story?id=5355800|title=Young guns steal the show|last=Luginbill|first=Tom|date=5 July 2010|publisher=ESPN|access-date=18 November 2013}}</ref>

=== Controversy ===

Clarkson was featured in a CBS "60 Minutes" segment by Morley Safer. The segment aired on a December 22, 2013<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.cbsnews.com/news/quarterback-guru-steve-clarkson | title=Quarterback Guru: Steve Clarkson | work=CBS News | first=Morley | last=Safer | date=22 December 2013}}</ref> episode. During the segment, Safer featured the potential moral implications of creating a business such as Clarkson's "Dreammaker" quarterback camps. Those implications included the question of whether children as young as seven should be intensively training to become college quarterbacks and whether the parents of young children should be investing large sums of money in Clarkson's tutelage. In the segment, Clarkson admitted he did not want his own 10-year-old son to play football. While many of Clarkson's successful former students were featured, none of Clarkson's unsuccessful students were interviewed or even mentioned.

Mike Forcier, the father of a former student Tate Forcier, alleged that Clarkson "was more into promoting than coaching... It's like a big cattle call. That's what it is. It's all about promoting his guys and himself."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/espnmag/story?id=3576332|title = Grant: NFL washout now most powerful QB coach in football|date = 8 September 2008}}</ref>

Clarkson at one point had fifty kids in private group training that cost $7,400 a year, although add-ons often took the tabs into five figures. He also works with more than 200 other players through camps and semi-private clinics. Clarkson will do a full 12-hour session over two days for an out-of-state QB that costs $3,000 plus expenses.<ref name="Badenhausen">{{cite news| url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/kurtbadenhausen/2012/05/24/qb-guru-steve-clarkson-can-make-your-kid-a-football-star | title=QB Guru Steve Clarkson Can Make Your Kid A Football Star | work=Forbes | first=Kurt | last=Badenhausen | date=24 May 2012}}</ref>

Clarkson is also self-styled as a recruiting middle man. Forbes Magazine quoted Clarkson as saying "Kids are on the cusp of getting scholarships before high school and it is all because of the Sills story, I guess I'm the person who started this whole madness."<ref name="Badenhausen"/>

=== Notable trainees ===

Clarkson has developed quarterbacks including Heisman Trophy-winner Matt Leinart and Matt Barkley.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/sports/usc/la-xpm-2012-mar-15-la-sp-quarterback-coach-20120315-story.html|title=The quarterback guru's magic touch|last=Klein|first=Gary|date=15 March 2012|work=Los Angeles Times|access-date=17 November 2013}}</ref> Other clients include Jimmy Clausen, Ben Roethlisberger, and Matt Cassel.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://articles.philly.com/2009-10-17/sports/24987411_1_clients-usc-s-matt-barkley-steve-clarkson|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203224650/http://articles.philly.com/2009-10-17/sports/24987411_1_clients-usc-s-matt-barkley-steve-clarkson|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 3, 2013|title=QB guru is molding the finest of athletes|last=Pompey|first=Keith|date=17 October 2009|publisher=philly.com|access-date=17 November 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/blog/pac10/post/_/id/4017/competition-within-the-game-clausen-vs-barkley|title=Competition within the game: Clausen vs. Barkley|last=Miller|first=Ted|date=16 October 2009|publisher=ESPN College Football|access-date=17 November 2013}}</ref> A protégé of Clarkson's, David Sills, verbally committed to USC at the age of 13.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/highschool-prep-rally/14-old-recruit-david-sills-visits-usc-more-172325308.html|title=14-year-old recruit David Sills visits USC with more media fanfare|last=Smith|first=Cameron|date=28 March 2011|publisher=Yahoo! Sports|access-date=18 November 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/andy_staples/02/05/usc-sills/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100209101811/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/andy_staples/02/05/usc-sills/|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 9, 2010|title=USC stands to gain much more than one QB from offering 13-year-old|last=Staples|first=Andy|date=5 February 2010|publisher=Sports Illustrated|access-date=18 November 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/blog/pac10/post/_/id/41693/middle-school-commitments-meaningless|title=Middle school commitments meaningless|last=Miller|first=Ted|date=26 July 2012|work=ESPN.com|access-date=23 November 2013}}</ref> Another student, Tate Martell, verbally committed to the University of Washington at age 14.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/8200394/quarterback-tate-martell-14-commits-washington-huskies|title=QB Tate Martell, 14, commits to UW|last=McKinney|first=Eric|date=26 July 2012|publisher=ESPN College Football|access-date=17 December 2013}}</ref> Clarkson also currently works with the following talent at the collegiate level, Max Wittek at the University of Hawaii, and Wilton Speight, University of Michigan.

==References== {{Reflist|30em}}

==External links== *[http://www.steveclarksondreammaker.com Steve Clarkson Dreammaker]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clarkson, Steve}} Category:1961 births Category:Living people Category:American football quarterbacks Category:Canadian football quarterbacks Category:San Jose State Spartans football players Category:Saskatchewan Roughriders players Category:Players of American football from Los Angeles Category:Woodrow Wilson High School (Los Angeles) alumni Category:Players of Canadian football from Los Angeles Category:Sports coaches from Los Angeles Category:20th-century American sportsmen