Remember When...1978 Gave Us A New Center

[Wolverine1975]

He played for the Giants from 1978-81, but Jim Clack will probably be remembered more for his days as a Pittsburgh Steeler, when he was part of two Super Bowl-winning teams (1975 and 1976). 

from THE BERGEN RECORD, Tuesday, July 25, 1978

GIANTS' NEW CENTER SEEKS TO RECAPTURE OLD FEELING (excerpted)
by Vinny DiTrani

  PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y.--There was a point during the offseason, Jim Clack admits, when he wondered if he should report to the Giants' training camp at all.
  And all those close friendships he had built in eight years with the Steelers were about to be terminated.  "There couldn't be a better bunch of guys, a closer-knit group than we had in Pittsburgh," he said.
  But the hope of recapturing what he considered the greatest of his football experiences, the feeling of being part of a team on the upward trend, won out over Clack's doubts.  The Giants' new center, obtained from the Steelers with Ernie Pough for John Hicks, is sweating it out with the rest at the Giants' Pace training base.
  People questioned Clack's sanity for even wanting to play with a team like the Giants, after all those super (including two Super) seasons in Pittsburgh.
  Now, Clack finds himself with a relatively young team whose fans would go bonkers just for a late-season shot at the playoffs.  "There are parallels with this team and the Steelers," he said.  "I think we've got real talent on this team.  Now, it's just a matter of developing unity, getting some experience, and getting the breaks."
  Clack was a starting guard on the two Steelers championship teams, but now rejoins former teammate and roommate, Giant tackle Gordon Gravelle, as a center.  "I liked played guard, especially in Pittsburgh where we had a lot of action," he said.  "But hey, I'm 30 now, and moving back to center [he played there his first five years out of Wake Forest] might help add a few years to my career.
  "And, one of the main reasons I'm here is to see if in a couple of years what happened in Pittsburgh can happen here."  The upward climb, that is.

SIDENOTE: In this article, Clack had mentioned that the Steelers had gone from 1-13 (his rookie year) to 4-10 to 6-8 and then to the playoffs (in 1972).    A somewhat similar pattern had happened during Clack's four-season stay with the Giants: 6-10 (1978), 6-10 (1979), 4-12 (1980) and then 9-7 (1981), their first playoff season in roughly 18 years.  Four seasons to make it to the playoffs in Clack's tenures with the Steelers and the Giants.

[kartanoman]

One of the very few trades, in the 70s, that actually panned out well for the Giants.



Peace!

[Wolverine1975]

K-Man, great pic!