Longtime Indianapolis Colt tight end Dallas Clark retired from professional football Wednesday after signing a one-day contract with the Colts. That made it possible for him to make his exit as a member of the team that drafted him.
Colts owner Jim Irsay noted that there was no signing bonus this time. Clark gave the credit for his successes to Irsay.
“It starts with Mr. Irsay and your family. You changed my life back in ’03 when you guys took me,” Clark says.
He was chosen two picks after the Chicago Bears selected former Bloomington South High School and University of Florida quarterback Rex Grossman. The two would play against one another in the Super Bowl three years later.
Clark played nine of his 11 seasons for the Colts. He was a first-team All-Pro in 2009 – a season in which he caught 100 passes and scored ten touchdowns. He’s one of only nine tight ends in NFL history to catch more than 500 passes in his career.