University of South Dakota Athletics

Cletus "Red" Clinker was an outstanding football player who also coached at South Dakota. Clinker had a long association with USD, even serving as a head football coach one season 1942, when Harry Gamage was called into the military service. The 1942 team recorded a 5-3 record including a 3-3 mark in the NCC. As a player, he earned all-conference honors at quarterback in 1933. Later he was an assistant coach for the Coyotes from 1936-41. After World War II, he returned to USD as an assistant coach in 1946. Then, he took over as head coach at Watertown, SD, High School and also coached at the high level in California. He retired in Antioch, CA.