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Today in Patriots History
Forgotten Defensive Backs
Forgotten Defensive Backs
Happy birthday to Clarence 'Scotty' Scott, who would have been 77 today
Born May 5, 1944 in Norristown, PA
Patriot SS, 1969-1972; uniform #26
Died May 17, 2019
Signed as a free agent on or about July 1, 1969
Great Scotts! Upper Merion brothers have jerseys retired
It’s a commentary on those long ago times that Clarence, a gifted athlete, would wind up at Morgan State University in Baltimore, Md., playing alongside future National Football League Hall of Famers Willie Lanier and Leroy Kelly, among others.
“Division One programs weren’t offering scholarships to many black athletes at that time,” Scott said, “so we went and played at Morgan State, and quite a few of the players I played with ended up with NFL teams.”
The Patriots signed Scott as an undrafted rookie free agent. He played in all 14 games in his first season and became a starter the next year. Unfortunately injuries limited him to 15 games and ten starts over his next two seasons, prematurely ending his NFL career.
Scott went on to work for IBM for twenty years after hanging up his cleats, and was inducted to the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame in 2014. Overall he played in 43 games with 24 starts for the Pats, collecting six fumble recoveries. He had this to say about his playing days at Morgan State and with the Pats, which included some first class competition for a school that was not a traditional football powerhouse:
“I played with Leroy Kelly, Willie Lanier, George Nock and (John) ‘Frenchy’ Fuqua. I was Leroy’s fullback. I played both ways from my freshman year to my senior year. I played fullback and left linebacker on defense.”
Scott played pro football with the great Jim Nance who was a big, hard running fullback.
“He was a good running back,” Scott said. “I’m glad he was on my team. He wasn’t the kind of guy you could tackle. He was a good friend of mine.”
Clarence “Scotty” Scott, 75, Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame member
Clarence “Scotty” Scott, a former New England Patriots football player and a member of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame, died on Friday, May 17, 2019, after battling cancer. He
www.phillytrib.com
Scott worked for his father’s catering business during his childhood, often bragging and proud that was a bartender by age 14.
Scott graduated from Upper Merion High School where he was a scholar athlete and excelled in both the classroom and athletics, receiving state and national recognition for his track, basketball and football achievements.
He attended Morgan State University where he excelled at football and off the field antics. His family said he believed in working hard and playing hard and was a natural leader. Scott graduated from Morgan State with degrees in political science and history.
After being drafted by and subsequently cut by the Houston Oilers, Scott served two years in the United States Army from 1966 to 1968 as a military policeman. He earned an honorable discharge in 1968.
After the Army, Scott returned home to Pennsylvania and his father’s catering business, which he claimed was his favorite job ever.
He opted to give football one last go and tried out for the New England Patriots, becoming one of the oldest rookies in the NFL. Upon retiring from football, Scott went to work in corporate world selling typewriters for IBM. He excelled in sales and worked at IBM for 20 years.
He married his wife in 1984. Scott retired from IBM in 1992 to stay home with their two children, while supporting his wife’s career across the world. During that time, he also became a founding member of the East Palo Alto YMCA from 2005-2010.
“Scotty touched and impacted thousands of lives with spirit, humor and dedication to the betterment of others,” his family said in a tribute.
In 2010, Scott joined the board of Elwyn Inc., one of the nation’s largest care facilities for children and adults with major disabilities. During that time, he was also a major supporter of the Cypress Mandela Training Center, preparing previously unemployable adults with trade and life skills to make a career in the construction industry. Hosting pig roasts, Scott raised thousands of dollars for the center.