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Living Legends: Where are they now?

Jordan Cox

By Jordan Cox

Published:

Ryan Clark is doing what couldn’t have been — or shouldn’t have been — done.

The former LSU defensive back is in his 10th season in the NFL, with the end nearing. He’s a Super Bowl champion.

Clark’s done it while having to battle a major health scare.

During the 2007 season, while playing with the Pittsburgh Steelers in Denver against the Broncos, high altitude and extreme physical stress triggered painful and dangerous symptoms only seen in those with sickle cell disease. Clark was rushed to the hospital due to pain in his left side.

Back in Pittsburgh, doctors found sickle cell-related damage to his spleen. Clark underwent emergency surgery to remove his spleen and gallbladder, forcing him to miss the remainder of the Steelers’ season.

That type of circumstance would often push players toward retirement. But not the Louisiana native.

Thirty pounds lighter, Clark returned to the Steelers in 2008, a season in which he won the the Ed Block Courage Award.

Growing up back in Marrero, La., — about 15 minutes outside of New Orleans — Clark was diagnosed with sickle cell trait. That didn’t stop him from playing football, however. Clark starred at Archbishop Shaw High School before attending home-state LSU where he made a name for himself playing safety under Nick Saban.

Clark’s NFL career has had longevity because sickle cell trait is only triggered by high altitude. Following his 2007 health scare, the Steelers deactivated Clark each time they played in Denver during the next four seasons.

He’s still playing — he’s on a one-year deal with the Washington Redskins — but he really has two careers. Clark serves as an NFL analyst for ESPN during the offseason. It’s a position he’s held for the past two offseasons.

It seems as if he’s already begun opening post-retirement doors. The Worldwide Leader will likely have a place for him once he does decide to call it quits.

Clark is also very involved in the disease that has so closely impacted his life. In 2012, he and his wife Yonka created the Cure League to raise awareness and find a cure for sickle cell trait.

“After my ordeal in Denver and following [my sister’s] death, my wife and I prayed daily for guidance about what to do next,” Clark said in a statement on Cure League’s website. “I didn’t just want to lend my name to a cause; I wanted to get involved in a big way. That’s when we approached the University of Pittsburgh and University of Pittsburgh Medical Center about our idea.

“We feel so fortunate to have these amazing sickle cell doctors and scientists working with us to bring hope to people with sickle cell disease.”

Jordan Cox

After living in Birmingham, Ala., Jordan left the ground zero of SEC Nation to head south to Florida to tell the unique stories of the renowned tradition of SEC football. In his free time, his mission is to find the best locales around.

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