Ironman Insider: Clint Dolezel
Tom Goodhines
Tuesday April 11, 2000
Black cats, broken mirrors and walking under ladders are all superstitions that are supposed to bring “bad luck.”
Take for instance, the No. 13. Some fear it and consider the number to be unlucky. Others believe that it brings misfortune and avoid the number whenever possible. In sports, many athletes avoid the number for fear of the havoc that it may bring.
For one certain athlete, the No. 13 is embraced. In a Chicago locker room, there is a jersey with the No. 13 on it – and the number has only brought this athlete positive things. Former Houston Thunderbear quarterback Clint Dolezel now wears the No. 13 for the Chicago Bears and has put a positive spin on the superstition.
“I wore the No. 12 in high school because of [former Dallas Cowboy QB] Roger Staubach,” Dolezel said. “When I went to college, No. 12 was taken, so I settled on No. 13. I wanted to change the negative stereotype that came with it.”
And change it he did.
Clint was born in Waco, Texas – the youngest of three boys to Johnnie and Judy Dolezel. Besides playing football, Clint also lettered in track, still holding school records for the javelin, and played on the golf team. He credits gaining his competitive edge from his family. “We’re all very competitive,” Clint said. “If you asked any of us who the best athlete in the family was – you’d probably get a different answer from each one of us. But, my mom is probably the best athlete in the family.”
Clint’s desire to play football flourished in junior high school. That is when he knew that he wanted to be a quarterback. “Both of my brothers [Steve and Lance] were wide receivers,” Dolezel said. “I wanted to do something different. I wanted to be a quarterback.”
Dolezel began his college career at Cisco Junior College where he earned Second Team All-Conference honors under the direction of current Milwaukee Mustangs Head Coach Rick Frazier. He then transferred to East Texas State where he was twice a Second Team All-Lone Star Conference selection.
Undrafted out of college, Dolezel attended the Cleveland Browns’ camp as a free agent in 1994, but was later cut. That is when he first looked into Arena Football. Dolezel got a call from fellow East Texas State alumnus, Michael Trigg, then coach of the Milwaukee Mustangs, and asked Dolezel if he’d like to give Arena Football a try.
Dolezel spent two years in Milwaukee before Trigg gave Clint the biggest break of his AFL career – a trade to Texas. “Looking back – he did me a favor,” Dolezel said. In Milwaukee, Dolezel was playing behind the league’s all-time passing leader, Todd Hammel, and didn’t have the opportunity get any significant playing time. Texas would provide him with a shot at the starting job.
When he made it to Texas in 1997, he still wasn’t first in line. Dolezel battled Marty Lowe and lost. Fate would come into play when Lowe suffered an injury in the first game and Dolezel was called on to step in. “Marty outplayed me – there was no question about it,” Dolezel recalled. “But when he went down, I knew that I had to take advantage of the opportunity.”
So that’s what he did. Dolezel finished the year with 3,377 passing yards and 69 TDs. And that was just the beginning.
Houston’s No. 13 became one of the most prolific passers in Arena Football League history. Dolezel is ninth on the all-time career passing list (12,165 yards), seventh in touchdown passes (234), and second in completion percentage (65.0). He is also the only quarterback in AFL history to throw for over 400 yards twice and matched one of the league’s oldest records by throwing for 10 TDs in a game twice.
In 1999, Dolezel had one of the best seasons ever for a quarterback. He led the league in attempts (556), completions (374), completion percentage (67.3), passing yardage (4,336) and touchdown passes (80) – but was not named to the first or second All-Arena team. The modest quarterback kept it all in perspective. “We (Houston) finished at 4-10,” Dolezel said. “All of those numbers go out the window if your team doesn’t win.”
Dolezel said that he believes Houston coach Steve Thonn has helped his development along the way. “Steve has one of the best offensive minds in the league,” Dolezel said. “He let’s the quarterback have an input and that helps give a player confidence. I will try to have that same style when I’m coaching.”
“He just plays,” Coach Thonn said when asked what he liked most about Clint. “No matter what the situation, he just goes out and plays the best he can. Nothing fazes him.”
When Kurt Warner, another No. 13, exploded on the NFL scene in 1999, Dolezel never doubted Kurt’s ability. “It was obvious after the first couple of games that Kurt wasn’t a fluke,” Dolezel said. “Teams were able to see him and gear their defenses around stopping him and they still couldn’t do it. Kurt put AFL QBs on the map. He turned the eyes of the NFL toward the Arena League.”
A pair of those eyes belonged to Chicago Bears’ Vice President of Player Personnel Mark Hatley.
Hatley had contacted his friend and Tampa Bay coach Tim Marcum about quarterbacks in the AFL and Marcum told him of Dolezel. Clint got a workout with the Bears in February and is currently in camp working to earn a spot on the roster.
Marcum said that he believes that Dolezel has the ability to make an NFL roster. “To compare anybody to what Kurt did would be unfair,” Marcum said. “But I see a lot of similarities between Dolezel and Warner. They are tough competitors, accurate passers, and natural leaders. Clint took his team to the playoffs [in 1998] and he has the ability to take a team to the next level. Iowa struggled that first year after Kurt left, so it will be interesting to see how well Houston is able to do without Clint.”
Ten-year AFL quarterback and future Hall of Famer Ben Bennett agrees with Marcum’s assessment of Dolezel. “I don’t think that I have seen a more purer passer than Clint,” Bennett said. “He has great touch on his passes and the ability to play in the NFL.” Bennett continued, “If Clint gets the opportunity to play in Chicago, Cade McNown might end up saying, ‘I thought I was going to play this year!’ The potential is definitely there.”
Dolezel is currently enjoying the experience and is learning as he goes. “[Chicago QB] Jim Miller has really taken me under his wing,” Dolezel said. “In film study and through the workouts, there is a lot of terminology that I’m trying to pick up, but I’m confident in my ability. I feel very fortunate – very lucky.”
And the AFL has another “Lucky No. 13.”
OFF THE FIELD
Clint teaches and coaches junior high football at Waller High School. Clint and his wife Kris have a daughter, Molly Kate, and a son, Trevor. When his playing days are over, Clint sees himself coaching in the AFL. “I know the game,” Dolezel said. “And I love this game. I think that I can bring a lot to a team and help develop quarterbacks on the nuances of this brand of football.”
MOST FEARED OPPONENT
“Without a doubt – James Baron and Willie Wyatt,” Dolezel said. “The key to this game is getting to the quarterback and intimidating nose guards play a big role in that. Whenever one of those guys lined up on the other side – I knew it was going to be a long night.”
ARE YOU LISTENING, NFL?
One player that Dolezel says the NFL should take a look at is Houston’s Kotto Cotton. “He does things with the football that I have never seen before,” Dolezel said of his former teammate. “He’s the fastest guy I have ever seen in pads. I am very surprised that he is not in the NFL somewhere.” Cotton was recently released by the Kansas City Chiefs and is on the Thunderbears’ roster in 2000.
SECURITY BLANKET
Dolezel said that the one player he really enjoyed playing with was wide receiver Chris Ford. “Every quarterback has one receiver that they know can get open,” Dolezel said. “Chris was that guy. Whenever there was a one-on-one match-up – Chris would always get open. Robert Hall is the same way. You just knew they were going to make the play.”
Tom Goodhines was a writer for ArenaFan Online during the 2000 season.
