Ryan Clark’s Incredible Journey from Near-Death to Super Bowl Champion
Former Pittsburgh Steelers safety, Ryan Clark, nearly died in 2007 due to a medical crisis caused by the sickle cell trait. Just one year later, he would win Super Bowl XLIII.
Hi everyone! We’re back with another edition of The Producer’s Perspective with In the Moment producer Sarah McCrory. This week, Pittsburgh Steelers safety Ryan Clark sat down with David Greene to talk about why what others see as one of the NFL’s great comeback stories isn’t truly his greatest moment. I loved Sarah’s take on the interview, and hope you do too.
We’re also busy preparing for the World Cup (the US roster drops tomorrow!), and we have big plans—especially for those of you who live in New York. I’ll have more details on some other events later, but first, wanted to tell you about our partnership with Street FC. Every week this month, we'll celebrate the beautiful game and unite fútbol fans in NYC with 5v5 soccer matches. Everyone ages 14 and up is invited to ball in 1-hour sessions of street soccer. You can learn more and RSVP here.
I hope you can make it! Now, onto Sarah!
-Joe
The toll that playing in the NFL puts on your body is something that us normal people will probably never fully grasp. I mean, the sport takes a lot out of you physically and mentally. So, former Steelers safety Ryan Clark going from the brink of death in 2007 to winning Super Bowl XLIII just one year later, might be the comeback of the century. “There’s a picture of me laying in the confetti with my eyes closed,” he told us on In the Moment with David Greene. “It was the first time I had exhaled or relaxed in over a year.”
What struck me the most about our interview with Clark was not his ability to overcome adversity on and off the field, but his attitude about it. In 2007, after the Steelers lost to the Broncos in Denver, Clark was rushed to the hospital in debilitating pain. He would later have his gallbladder and part of his spleen removed due to a medical condition caused by the sickle cell trait and the toll of playing at altitude. At the time, nobody was sure if he would ever play again. But just one year later, Clark hoisted the Lombardi Trophy alongside teammate and Hall of Fame safety Troy Polamalu.
Even after all the grit and determination it took for Clark to get to this Super Bowl win, he didn’t have a sense of happiness after winning. “I could truly say to you, I do not remember a feeling of happiness ever that night,” he told us, “I don't remember a feeling of joy.”
How could he not feel happy? He just won the Super Bowl and defied the longest odds imaginable, one of the great comeback stories in NFL history. Other athletes we’ve spoken to for In the Moment have described Super Bowls and championship wins as among the happiest and most surreal moments of their lives. “I was tired, man. Just very tired, you know?” Clark explained. He had barely taken a day off since recovering from his spleen infarction just a year earlier.
Our show is about examining moments that change an athlete’s career, and in turn, their life. When we booked Ryan Clark for this show, I suspected the biggest moment in his life—and career—would be winning Super Bowl XLIII alongside one of the most famous defenses in NFL history, just one year after narrowly escaping death. But it wasn’t. That’s not the moment Ryan Clark wants to be remembered for.
“My hopes are that the moments that truly end up defining me aren't moments that people know about,” he said. Clark reiterated that he hopes his son, Jordan, doesn’t remember him as a Super Bowl champion but that, “he's able to say, ‘He was just there every single time I needed him.’”
For Ryan Clark, his near-death experience in 2007 made him realize there’s a lot more to life than just football—even bigger than a Super Bowl ring.
Listen to our full conversation with Robert Griffin III on In the Moment with David Greene on Apple podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
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