Frank Clarke, an original member of the Cowboys in 1960, died Thursday morning, according to the team’s former player personnel director, Gil Brandt. Clarke was 84.
Clarke’s last game was the Ice Bowl in 1967, making him the last original Cowboy to retire.
The Browns made Clarke a fifth-round pick in 1956, and he played three seasons in Cleveland before the Cowboys selected him in the expansion draft.
In his 11-year career, Clarke made 291 catches for 5,426 yards and 50 touchdowns.
He held the Cowboys’ team record for most touchdowns in a season with 14 in 1962 before Terrell Owens broke it in 2007.
Clarke was the first black football player at the University of Colorado, and the first black star on the Cowboys. He also became the first black analyst at CBS.
He is survived by two sons and a daughter.
