John Clay

Wisconsin Badgers — No. 32
Running back	Sophomore
Major: Human development and family studies
Date of birth: January 4, 1988 (1988-01-04) (age 21)
Place of birth: Racine, Wisconsin
Height: 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	Weight: 248 lb (112 kg)
Career history
High school: Washington Park High School, Racine, Wisconsin
College(s): University of Wisconsin (2006–present)
Career highlights and awards
Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year (2009) 2006 U.S. Army All-American 2009 Champs Sports Bowl MVP
Stats at CBS Sportsline.com

John Clay is a running back for the University of Wisconsin Madison football team. Clay was one of the most heavily recruited players in the country coming out of high school. In high school, he received numerous awards and accolades for his accomplishments on the field at Washington Park High in Racine, Wisconsin. Clay was ruled ineligible to play by the NCAA after not completing Wisconsin admission requirements. Clay was ruled eligible for the 2008 season and has seen variable amounts of playing time throughout the season.

[edit] High school

Johnny "Big Play" Clay attended Washington Park High School in Racine, Wisconsin. While in High School he was trained by NBA All-Star Caron Butler's trainer Eric M. Harris of Complete8 LLC. He was named All-American in 2006 and played in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl game. A 4-star recruit^[1], he committed to Wisconsin on national signing day after declining offers from Tennessee, Ohio State, Nebraska, and Iowa.^[1]

[edit] Awards/Accolades

• U.S. Army All-American Bowl
• Tom Lemming's Top 10 of 2007
• All-State
• All-Area
• Rival's 100
• 2009 Big Ten offensive player of the year
• 2009 All-Big Ten 1st team
• 2009 Champs Sports Bowl MVP

[edit] College

As a redshirt freshman in 2008, John Clay saw his first action on the field against the University of Akron, where he posted 71 yards and his first collegiate touchdown on just 12 carries. He finished the season second on the team and seventh in the Big Ten Conference in rushing with 884 yards on 155 carries and nine touchdowns.

In his sophomore season, John Clay ran for 143 rushing yards against the Fresno State Bulldogs on September 12, 2009^[2]. Clay was rewarded for his performance earning his first start of the season the following week against the Wofford Terriers. However, in that game Clay had a career high three fumbles^[3].

On October 3, 2009, John Clay ran for a career high of 184 rushing yards on 32 attempts against the Minnesota Golden Gophers. Clay also scored 3 touchdowns is that game.

On November 23, 2009, John Clay was named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year. Clay is the third Badgers' standout to be named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year, joining fellow running backs Ron Dayne (1999) and Brent Moss (1993). The Wisconsin native is the third straight running back to earn Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year accolades and the sixth sophomore to be honored, joining a group of former second-year winners that includes Purdue quarterback Drew Brees (1998), Michigan running backs Tyrone Wheatley (1992) and Jon Vaughn (1990) and Michigan State running backs Tico Duckett (1990) and Lorenzo White (1985).

He is reported he will not declare early to NFL.

John Clay was on the cover of the December 11, 2009 edition of Sports Illustrated. The Sports Illustrated issue was "Pictures of the Year", the best sports photos of 2009. The cover is a close-up of John Clay's helmet with the reflection of his offensive line and quarterback in his visor. The picture was taken during the Michigan game at Camp Randall Stadium.

[edit] Controversy

After graduating from high school and before the start of summer football camp, Clay was notified by the NCAA that his grades had not met the requirements to play collegiate football. He had recorded a 2.7 core GPA and received a 17 on his ACT^[1]. Clay attended summer school to complete the required course work, then rejoined his teammates and began practicing with the Badgers. He lost a year of football, but retained his eligibility.

[edit] Statistics

[edit] Rushing

^[4]

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Wisconsin Badgers bio