BOULDER — Former University of Colorado and NFL standout receiver Frank Clarke, the first African-American varsity football player at CU (and the first to earn a letter), died Wednesday in Dallas after a lengthy illness.
Clarke was 84.
Clarke, who was inducted into the CU Athletics Hall of Fame in 2008, joined the Buffs in 1954 after playing two years at Trinidad Junior College. After sitting out a transfer year, he led the Buffs in receiving in 1955 and '56, earning honorable mention All-Big 7 honors as a junior. In an era when Colorado rarely threw the ball downfield, he still finished his career averaging 26.