Damon
Clark Biography
Wheeling
High School / (Class of 1975) Wheeling, WV
Classification:
AAA Boys
Specialty:
Distance
Marshall
University / (Class of 1979) Huntington, WV
Damon Lamont Clark (born December 11, 1956) was born and
raised in the Ohio Valley. He graduated from Wheeling High School in 1975,
which was in Ohio County, West Virginia.
Wheeling High School remained open until 1976. During the
1976-1977 academic year, Wheeling Park High School opened following the
consolidation of Wheeling, Triadelphia, Warwood and West Liberty high schools.
While at Wheeling High School, Clark was a three-time West
Virginia prep champion and five-time all-state selection in cross-country and
track. He won the West Virginia state title in cross-country in 1973, while in
track he won the 2-mile in ’73, ‘74 and was runner-up in ’75.
In 1973, he won the OVAC cross-country meet and the OVAC
track meet in the 2-mile, while setting the Valley record at the time.
During his high school career, Clark captured two state
records in the 2-mile run, 1973 and 1974. His junior year, he ran an all-time
best high school performance in the state in the 2-mile of 9:37.9.
Damon Clark signed to run track at Marshall University
for Coach Andy Nameth. Also signed was his toughest competitor, St. Albans’
David Kline. Nameth left Marshall and was replaced by Rod O’Donnell from 1976
through 1979.
While at Marshall University, Clark was an all-conference
selection in track and cross country.
Early
Years:
Damon Clark attended Clay Junior High School and was city
champ in the mile with a time of 4:56.
High
School:
Damon Clark attended Wheeling High School from the fall
of 1972 until the spring of 1975, where he competed in cross-country and track
& field in the WVSSAC AAA Classification, as well as the Ohio Valley
Athletic Conference (OVAC).
[Sophomore
Year]
As a sophomore, Clark didn't qualify for the West
Virginia High School All-Boys Class State Meet which was held at Morgantown.
St. Albans won the team championship as eleven teams competed for the title,
while Keyser’s Dale Redman captured top individual honors.
On May 7th, 1973, Wheeling’s Damon Clark broke an all-time
Ohio Valley high school record in the 2-mile run at the Bellaire’s Nelson Field,
where he was timed in 9:53.1. Both Clark and second place Gage Lightner, of
John Marshall, broke the old valley record of 9:56.7 by Mark Hoobler, Stanton
Local, in 1971.
At the 1973 Class AAA Boys West Virginia State Track
Meet, it was a St. Albans-Charleston battle for the sixth straight year, with
St. Albans coming out on top for the fourth time in five years, 54 to 42 3/5
points. Charleston’s Mike Tyson and East Bank’s Claude Geiger tied for high
point honors. Craig Casto of Parkersburg won the mile in 4:26.4, while Damon
Clark of Wheeling outlasted the field to win the 2-mile in 9:52.1. This was the
first time the 2-mile run was held, which made it a state record.
[Junior
Year]
At the 1973 West Virginia All-Boys Class State Cross
Country Meet at Morgantown, Damon Clark of Wheeling captured first in record
time and St. Albans snared its third straight cross-country championship. The Wheeling
speedster raced 2.3 miles in 13:01.8 seconds, eclipsing Kim Nutter’s (Parkersburg)
old state record by two-tenths a second. Terry Wigfield of Keyser finished
second, nosing out Liberty’s John Davis. Both were clocked in 13:16.
Team Results: 1) St. Albans - 47; 2) Keyser - 62; 3) John
Marshall - 82; 4) Brooke County - 123; 5) DuPont - 128; 6) Huntington East -
132; 7) Sissonville - 183; 8) Fairmont West - 185; 9) Woodrow Wilson - 190
Individual Results: 1)
Damon Clark — Wheeling 13:01.8; 2) Terry Wigfield — Keyser 13:16; 3) John Davis
— Clarksburg Liberty 13:16; 4) Pete McCuskey — St. Albans 13:18; 5) Paul Howard
— Montcalm 13:18; 6) Kevin Schwing—John Marshall 13:20; 7) Mike Redman — Keyser
13:22; 8) Kenny Hensley—Montcalm 13:24; 9) Larry Robinson—Woodrow Wilson 13:25;
10) Dave Rollins— St. Albans 13:27
At the 1974 Class AAA Boys West Virginia State Track
Meet, Charleston High captured the team Title with a thrilling one-point win
over cross-town rival Stonewall, 30 to 29. It was the 18th Title for the
storied downtown school…and it turned out to be their last. Only one record was
broken among the Class AAA boys. Wheeling’s Damon Clark, timed in 9:42.3,
passed Dick Douglas of Huntington East on the final curve of the eight-lap race
after he had led for more than half the race. Going down the stretch Clark
grabbed quickly at a pulled hamstring in his right thigh but sprinted on to
victory by four-tenths of a second and earning him another state record. East
Banks Claude Geiger won three events, including a tie of the 100-yard dash
record with a 9.7. Geiger won high point honors.
During Clark’s junior track season, he ran a state low
time of 9:37.9 in the 2-mile run.
[Senior
Year]
At
the 1974 West Virginia All-Boys Class State Cross Country Meet at the Cato
Park municipal golf course, St. Albans retained its state cross country title
with a meet low of 74 points. Martinsburg claimed the runner-up team honor with
81 points and John Marshall placed third with an accounting of 102. Kenny
Hensley, a senior at Montcalm High school, was the winner over the 84-man field
with a time of 11:44 for the 2.3-mile course.
Individual Results: 1) Hensley, 11:44; 2) Chris Fox,
Martinsburg, 11:45; 3) Steve Carnohan, Huntington, 11:46; 4) Jo-Jo Dean,
Ceredo-Kenova, 11:47; 5) David Bowman, Duval, 11:48; 6) Steve Worrell, Athens,
11:49; 7) Damon Clark, Wheeling, 11:50; 8) Anthony Skolik, Huntington East,
11:53; 9) Kevin Schwing, John Marshall, 11:55; 10) Jim Vargo, Collins, 11:56.
The 1975 Class AAA Boys West Virginia State Track Meet,
was perhaps the most controversial competitions in State Meet history, as
Stonewall downed St. Albans, 29-28. St. Albans appeared to have the title
clinched, leading 34-27 after David Kline’s record-setting 9:44 run in the
two-mile. Kline led the field across the finish line in the 2-mile run, but the
red flag was raised on the first turn of the second lap when he bumped Damon
Clark of Wheeling. The disqualification cost the Red Dragons six points and
what would have been their fifth state championship. St. Albans’ legendary
coach Stan Smith argued vehemently but to no avail. The disqualification in the
2-mile run moved Fairmont West’s Norm DeRosa to first (9:45.7) and Damon Clark
of Wheeling to second (9:54.9). Stonewall’s Walter Easley, also a future WVU
and NFL star won High Point Honors.
High
School Running Resume:
State
Final PR's:
XC (2.3 miles) - 13:01.8 (Record - Morgantown course)
2-Mile Run – 9:42.3 (State Meet Record)
State
Titles:
1973 - XC
1973 – 2-Mile
1974 – 2-Mile
Other
State Places:
1975 – 2-Mile (Runner-up)
State
Meet All-Time Lists (AAA Boys 1970’s 3200M):
1) 1979 - Jeff Adkins (Woodrow Wilson) 9:08.13
2) 1977 - Chris Fox (Martinsburg) 9:09.84
3) 1976 - Chris Fox (Martinsburg) 9:30.89
4) 1978 - John Case (Fairmont Senior) 9:32.38
5) 1976 - John Frazier (Charleston) 9:38.64
6) 1974 - Damon Clark (Wheeling) 9:38.94
7) 1974 - Douglas (Huntington East) 9:39.34
Times
are converted from 2-Mile to 3200m
[College]
After winning several state championships in cross
country and track at Wheeling High School, Damon studied at Marshall University
from 1975 to 1979, where he was an all-conference selection in track and cross
country.
In cross-country, Clark made the NCAA district meet every
year finishing 88th his freshman year, no Info for his sophomore year, 56th his
junior year, and 44th his senior year.
During the 1976 cross country season, Rich Watts and
Damon Clark finished 102nd and 108th, respectively, in the NCAA regional cross
country meet at Champaign, Illinois.
During the 1977 cross country season, Marshall University
captured their first Southern Conference Championship at Lexington, VA with a
score of 37 points. Virginia Military Institute (VMI) was second with 55
points. The Herd was led by sophomore John Dotson who placed 2nd overall in
31:41. Damon Clark was Coach Rod O’Donnell’s third scoring harrier, covering
the 10,000-meter (6.2 miles) course in 31:48. He placed 7th overall and was one
of eight runners to earn All-Conference honors.
In track, Damon Clark was All-Southern Conference in the
10k in 1977, 2-mile relay in 1978, and 3k steeple in 1979.
In the spring of 1977, in the Hall of Fame Relays that
was contested at the Marshall University track, Marshall’s four-mile relay of
Tim Koon of Fairmont, Jerry Dotson of DuPont, Damon Clark of Wheeling and Rich
Watts of Huntington reeled off a Marshall record of 17:22.1.
[Personal]
Damon Clark currently lives in Wheeling, West Virginia. After coaching at several
area high schools, he settled into the role of personal trainer at Ryan Ferns Healthplex,
which allows him to combine his passion for personal fitness with his love of
working with people to help them achieve their own individual health and
fitness goals.
Compiled by Coach Mike McMillion (05/14/18)