The Toronto Argonauts have signed general Michael ‘Pinball’ Clemons to a contract extension, the length of which was not announced.
The 58-year-old has served as the team’s general manager since Oct. 8, 2019 and has since posted a 33-15 record and won one Grey Cup. The team has also finished atop the East Division standings for three straight years for the first time since 1984.
“What can I say about Pinball Clemons that hasn’t already been said?” said team president Bill Manning in a statement. “He has known tremendous success with the Argos, first as one of the greatest CFL players of all-time, then as a Grey Cup-winning coach, and now a Grey Cup-winning general manager.”
“When Pinball took over as general manager in late 2019, he talked about building bridges and he has done just that, creating unity throughout the organization that is the foundation of our success. Pinball is also a great human and someone who I am blessed to work with and hold in the highest regard. This extension is well deserved, and our future is very bright with Pinball leading the way.”
Clemons played as a running back, slotback, and returner with the Argos from 1989 to 2000, becoming the league’s all-time all-purpose yardage leader with 25,438 yards. He is the only player in the history of professional football to record over 5,000 rushing yards, 5,000 receiving yards, 5,000 punt return yards, and 5,000 kick return yards in a career. His No. 31 has been retired by the Argonauts.
The native of Dunedin, Fla. became Toronto’s head coach in 2000 and served in the role until the end of the 2001 season when he became the team’s president. He took over the head coaching role again in the fall of 2002 on an interim basis, though it remained a permanent move as he relinquished the role of president that off-season.
Clemons remained Toronto’s head coach through 2007, posting a regular season record of 68-55-1, a playoff record of 6-5, and winning one Grey Cup, becoming the first Black head coach in CFL history to do so.
The William & Mary product stepped away from his role as Toronto’s head coach to become the team’s chief executive officer in 2008. He served in the role for one year before becoming the vice-chairman of the Argonauts, a role he held from 2009 to 2019.
In total, Clemons has won seven Grey Cups, including three as a player, one as a head coach, two as an executive, and one as a general manager.
The Argos (11-1) have already clinched first place in the East Division with six regular season games left to be played. Toronto has won five straight games and are 11-0 this season when Chad Kelly starts and finishes games under centre.
Toronto will host the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (6-7) on Saturday, Sept. 23 with kickoff slated for 7:00 p.m. EDT. The Boatmen currently hold a 3-0 advantage in the season series between the two teams.
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