Dallas Clark: 'I'm a Colt. I'm very lucky'

It was time, but the moment got the better of Dallas Clark on more than one occasion.

The man of the hour stepped behind the podium to express his appreciation to the Indianapolis Colts universe for the opportunity to retire as a member of the franchise that drafted him in 2003.

Then he paused.

Had to. Emotions took over, taking Clark's breath away like a safety slamming him in the chest.

Clark's head dropped. His eyes looked to one side, then the other.

Finally, he composed himself.

The scene would repeat itself several times as Clark, the most prolific tight end in franchise history, addressed a crowd that included former teammates, family and acquaintances.

Not surprisingly, nothing Clark experienced during an 11-year NFL — the first nine with the Colts — could have prepared him for saying goodbye.

"My wife told me to keep it lighthearted," Clark said, smiling and tossing a glance at Karen. "I just don't know how to do that because this place and these fans and everyone mean so much to me. My family ...''

Another emotional pause.

"All right, let's regroup here," Clark said.

And he did.

Coming full circle

Dee Johnson was there when it all began. Grandma was included on the passenger manifest of owner Jim Irsay's private jet when he flew her grandson, the team's 2003 first-round draft pick, from Livermore, Iowa to Indianapolis.

And she was there Wednesday, quietly seated to Clark's left as he thanked everyone from his teammates to the training staff to the coaches to Doug Melton, the office assistant in charge of delivering mail to players.

Dee Johnson, 90, smiled.

"Just very proud of him. His character," she said. "Even though he's my grandson, I do praise him for the person he is."

Clark was raised in Livermore, a northern Iowa farm community with a bustling population of 377 according to the 2012 census. His mother, Jan, tended to her three sons — Dallas, Dan and Derrik, both of whom were on hand — with tough love.

"There were times I told her, 'Jan, you're really being tough with them,'" Johnson said, "but she knew she had to stay one step ahead of those three boys. She did a good job raising them."

The crossroads in Clark's life came when he was in high school. His mother suffered a massive heart attack and died in his arms.

"It was then when I grew up and decided, 'You know what? There's more to this whole thing than just worrying about myself,'" he said. "That's when I really kind of put a chip on my shoulder and made me appreciate things.

"That's why I cry at these things."

They couldn't have come from more divergent backgrounds. Reggie Wayne from inner city New Orleans. Clark from the cornfields of Iowa.

"Yeah," Wayne said, "but we hit it off from Day 1. Dallas is my favorite teammate. All-time, no question.

"We shared so much, and I'm not just talking about football. We talked about life, things away from the game. I can't tell you how much he's helped me and how much he's meant to me."

Wayne has never visited Livermore.

"But it's on my bucket list," he said with a smile.

At one point during Wednesday's ceremony, Clark looked in Wayne's direction.

"Having Reggie here," he said, again pausing, "I think Reggie knows it, but he's the guy that I admired so much as a player. Me, trying to do what he was doing. Just watching him work. There is not a receiver in the league that does what he does, and there's a reason why he's still doing it at his level.

"He's unique. Reggie, I thank you. I was just holding onto your coattails."

That resulted in Clark finishing with more receptions (427) and receiving touchdowns (46) than any tight end in club history. His 4,887 yards are second to Hall of Famer John Mackey.

"All I've been trying to do is do my job and make mom, mostly mom, proud of me and you guys proud of me," Clark said.

"I'm a Colt. I'm very lucky to say that."

Irsay described Clark as "a great, great football player that really elevated the horseshoe almost to another level when he came in ... to really create matchup problems with Reggie already being here and Marvin (Harrison) already being here.

"It's really a great moment when you have a chance to have someone come back to town and put his name on the line. There's no signing bonus this time. There's a lot more meaning behind it than numbers."

Manning appreciated Clark's unselfish approach and steady contributions. He marveled at the matchup problems his "hybrid" tight end created for defensive coordinators.

"I've always said you'd like to have teams have a conversation about how they would handle a certain player," Manning said. "I know for a fact that Dallas was a guy teams were having to have a conversation about. 'Do we keep a linebacker on him? Do we keep a safety on him? Do we bring in a third cornerback to play against him?'

"It was nice having a guy who could somewhat dictate what the defense would have to do."

What's next?

Clark isn't certain what lies ahead. He and Karen spend the summer at their residence in Iowa, but they consider Zionsville home for sons Dane, 5, and Camden, 3.

"Our football family is here," Karen said. "We have so many of our ex-football friends that are here, and they are our family."

Whatever the future holds, Clark believes he'll face it with a clear head and a body that is as sound as possible after subjecting it to 156 NFL games, including the playoffs.

By his estimation, he was diagnosed with at least eight concussions during his career, seven with the Colts. Catching hundreds of passes from Manning came at a price, especially when it involved a seam route with a safety lurking.

Does he worry he'll eventually encounter issues related to the frequent head trauma?

"I don't think so," Clark said. "The (Colts' medical staff) were great about it and I had a good awareness of my body. I knew when something wasn't quite right. Never did I go out there and think, 'May, I shouldn't be out here.'

Clark's support staff always worried about his safety.

"I love watching him play," Karen said, "but I am very excited not to see my husband getting hit for a living. I won't miss that part of it."

Ditto, grandma.

"I was kind of ready for him to quit. I didn't tell him that," Johnson said. "But I thought you're pretty healthy and you've got these little boys to raise. That's the important thing now."

It was time.

Clark recalled the 2007 offseason when Tarik Glenn, the Colts' long-time left tackle, stunned the team and chose to retire following the win over the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XLI. Glenn was 31 at the time and had just completed his 10th season.

"I was like, 'How awesome is that? He's crazy, but how awesome is that?' " Clark said of Glenn going out on his own terms. "My new goal was if I could play long enough, (say) 'NFL, thank you, but I've had enough. I appreciate it but I have to move on."

Call Star reporter Mike Chappell at (317) 444-6830. You can follow him on Twitter at @mchappell51.