Meet your dad, George Clinkscale

BY JIMMIE TRAMEL World Sports Writer
Sunday, October 02, 2011
10/02/11 at 6:08 AM

Former University of Tulsa football player George Clinkscale died Sept. 22 at the too-young age of 24. He became ill and died after participating in a boxing match at a Tulsa church.

Among survivors are his fiancee, Courtney Thompson, who is pregnant, and a 2-year-old daughter, A'nahla.

Clinkscale's children will be curious as they get older. They'll hunger to know anything and everything about the young man in mom's scrapbooks and photo albums.

Who was George Louis Clinkscale III?

Words can't do justice to a lifetime, even a short one. Nevertheless, meet your father:

Your dad thought it was OK to dream big. When he was a wee lad, he told his mother, Coyletta Govan, that he wanted to play in the NFL. At various times in his college career, he expressed a desire to be the best linebacker in TU history and win a Heisman Trophy.

Your dad came to Tulsa from Cedar Hill, Texas. It's a blue-collar area south of Dallas. Maybe that's why your dad fit in so well as a lay coach at Central High School in Tulsa. He knew parents of Central students had to work whatever hours necessary to pay bills and kids there perhaps needed a little extra guidance (read: tough love).

"Coming from a school like Central, he's not going to cut those guys any slack," Central coach and former TU assistant Danny Phillips said, "He's not going to feel sorry for them. He's going to demand it out of them. It was really fun watching him work with the kids."

He was a generous man

Your dad knew the value of a dollar. He worked as a ride operator at Six Flags when he was a teen. He enjoyed making his own spending money and proudly wore his employee badge. He ditched the badge after he tried to get a girl's phone number and she held it against him that he was a worker. He also worked at an Albertson's grocery store. While at TU, his mother worked a part-time job at Target and forwarded him the checks.

Your dad was proud of his African-American heritage. He admired his mother more than anyone else, but among historical figures he admired were Martin Luther King Jr., and Dr. Charles Drew, an African-American physician who was a pioneer in the field of blood preservation. Your dad once said his favorite book was "Miseducation of the Negro." It was published 54 years before your dad was born.

Your dad was not selfish. Despite being 6 feet tall and 200 pounds, your dad played a big man's position (nose guard) in high school.

Why? Coach Joey McGuire asked your dad to do it for the sake of the team. Your dad knew playing out of position would hurt his chances of getting noticed by recruiters and - for financial reasons - he needed a scholarship.

McGuire said something to the extent of "Trust me. Play like you always play. I'll make sure recruiters know about you." When TU's Todd Graham asked who Cedar Hill's best player was, McGuire bragged about the "hellhound" who plays like his hair is on fire and chases a football like it's a fire extinguisher. Graham saw three plays on film and was ready to offer a scholarship. Your dad changed the culture of Cedar Hill's program because other kids bought into what the coach was selling.

Your dad was a good friend. High school teammate Terrel Nemons accepted a scholarship offer from Kansas. Then he changed his mind and followed your dad to Tulsa, citing friendship as a factor. A third Cedar Hill player, Cedric Godfrey, joined them.

He knew family matters

Former TU defensive coordinator Keith Patterson knew your dad was going to be good the first time he sent him into a game. Your dad was in the open field against NFL-bound running back DeAngelo Williams of Memphis. Patterson said your dad "tackled him like he was just another running back."

Your dad wasn't selfish in college. He played five different positions at TU, according to Patterson. Injuries had an impact on your dad's college career, but Patterson said he never had a group of linebackers play any better than when your dad and his mates brought their A-game in a 2008 loss at Arkansas.

Your dad sort of tricked your mom. She was a student at the University of Oklahoma when they met. She wasn't keen on the idea of dating athletes, perhaps because players can be "playas."

Your dad didn't immediately 'fess up that he was a player. When your mom saw your dad's face on a scoreboard video screen at a TU game, the secret was out.

"At a later point, they ended up laughing about it because they had already started dating by then and they had strong feelings for each other," teammate Aaron Johnson said.

Your dad's "other" families were important. Teammates and guys in Omega Psi Phi became his brothers. He met your mom during a fraternity-sorority mixer in 2007. She later discovered there is more - something deeper - to this guy than meets the eye.

He knew his priorities

Your mom knew your dad was Mr. Right after this: Buddies were planning a road trip around the same time as your mom's birthday. He wanted to go. Instead, he stayed and made your mom's birthday special. Her reaction: "Wow." He proposed in front of her family on a holiday (Thanksgiving). They intended to get married on March 23, 2012.

Your dad was a firecracker. At an early age, he knew he was a man.

Your dad found a mate who could handle a firecracker. When he started dating your mom, he warned it would take a strong woman to cope with him. He admitted he wasn't perfect. He said he could be stubborn - and a lot of other things. "You'll see," he told her. "And I saw," she said, standing her ground when necessary.

Your dad had a dark side and he channeled it when playing football. Like all of us, he did some less-than-angelic or boys-will-be-boys things in real life. Live and learn.

He was sweet as candy

Your mom changed your dad - and so did you. In fact, Bill Blankenship compared your dad to M&M candy.

"He had a hard shell, but he sure had a soft inside," the TU coach said.

"George loved to act like he didn't care. He had this real tough, crusty exterior and then he'd catch you off by yourself and put this big bear hug on you. That crust really fell off of him when that first little girl was born. Being a dad was a big deal to him."

Your dad was once photographed with his baby girl napping on his chest. You can tell by looking there was nowhere he would rather be. You should have seen him smile when candles were lit at A'nahla's second birthday party. "He had a sense of fulfillment," teammate Aaron Johnson said. "He had accomplished something great in his daughter."

Your dad never left your mom's side while she was in labor. He shed tears when A'nahla was born.

"I saw a side of him I never saw before," your mom said. Your father said he never imagined he would be blessed with so great a gift or that God would trust him with this kind of responsibility. Then he turned away when a family member snapped a picture of him holding the baby. He didn't want to be caught crying.

Your dad was a protector. He refused to let your mom and A'nahla travel long distances by themselves.

When A'nahla was a newborn and required a medical procedure, your dad missed a team flight to New Mexico because he knew where he was needed most. After her thumbs-up surgery, he caught a flight to Albuquerque and collapsed on the field during the game. Your mom suspects he was exhausted. "He had stayed up with me and we had been praying and just making sure A'nahla was going to be OK," she said.

He knew how to have fun

Your dad thought he could sing like Michael Jackson, according to teammate Donnie Johnson. The difference is Jackson was the king of pop and your dad was the king of (delivering) pops. "There weren't a lot of people that liked to take hits from George in football practices and games," Aaron Johnson said. "Because I was a running back, I got a chance to feel the wrath of George a lot."

Your dad thought football was more than a game. "Football turned my life around," he wrote while filling out a questionnaire for TU's sports information office.

Your dad was no quitter. Injuries and the grind of being a student-athlete exacted a toll. Before his fifth year at TU, he considered leaving football behind to be a student. Instead, he returned for his senior season. At a team meal before his final game, he urged underclassmen to make a commitment to get better the following year.

When your dad left campus, teammates missed him for more than football reasons. The dude could cook. When he made lasagna or peach cobbler, teammates found an excuse to visit. Your mom was sort of jealous of his cooking, though she didn't admit it.

Your dad smiled when he walked across a Reynolds Center stage to get his degree. Education was important to him.

He had ambition

Your grandfather, George Louis Clinkscale II, admired your father. That's obvious from grandpa's Facebook post: "GLC3 - a dad's hero."

Evidence exists to show that your dad's priorities changed in college. He filled out sports information questionnaires before each season at TU. One of the questions was "is there a possession you can't do without?" The answers evolved from "my radio" to "money" to "my daughter."

Your dad was passionate and caring and loyal and driven, according to Aaron Johnson, who said your dad was willing to do whatever it took to provide a better life for his family. Your dad was working two jobs - for LPD Energy and Central High School - before he died. Your mom said he would have coached those Central kids for free.

Your dad thought about going into politics and perhaps pursuing another degree. Anybody can complain about things they don't like. He wanted to change things he didn't like.

Your dad was physically and mentally strong. "He was a beast as far as his strength," Aaron Johnson said. "If you wanted anyone in your corner, you wanted George because he would intimidate people."

Strong men have weaknesses. Your dad's weaknesses were sweets - he celebrated his graduation at The Cheesecake Factory - and shoes. He had about 30 pair of shoes - all types - at his apartment when he died. More shoes were stashed at homes of family members.

Your dad relaxed by playing video games or board games or watching movies with your mom. Sometimes he sat on a patio by himself to get some thinking done. His musical interests ranged from old school (Stevie Wonder) to new school. Your mom could tell what mood he was in by what tunes - rap, R&B, gospel - he chose to hear.

He gave love, was loved

Your dad meant something to others. Big, tough men left a memorial service with moist eyes. Teammate Curnelius Arnick will never forget the last conversation he had with your dad. Men can be reluctant to express feelings, but your dad told Arnick exactly how he felt about him.

In 2007, your father said his favorite movie was "Life." He would want you to live life to the fullest because tomorrow is not promised to anyone.

Your mom said she missed your dad immediately. He always told her to "tighten up" when things got tough. It's time, now and forever, for the people who knew your dad to take his advice.

Original Print Headline: This is your dad

Jimmie Tramel 918-581-8389
jimmie.tramel@tulsaworld.com

Associated Images:

Former TU football player George Clinkscale died Sept. 22, leaving behind a daughter, A'nahla and his fiancee, Courtney Thompson, who is pregnant. Courtesy

Former TU football player George Clinkscale died Sept. 22, leaving behind a daughter, A'nahla and his fiancee, Courtney Thompson, who is pregnant. Tulsa World file

George Clinkscale is pictured with his daughter, A'nahla, now 2, and his fiancee, Courtney Thompson. Courtesy

A'nahla Clinkscale, daughter of George Clinkscale, sits with her mom, Courtney Thompson, during a memorial service for George Clinkscale last week at TU. MIKE SIMONS/Tulsa World