The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Former Football player Clements passes away
05.07.2015 | Football, Longhorn Foundation
Quarterback played from 1955-57 and moved on to have a storied high school coaching career
The Texas Longhorns lost one of their own with the recent passing of Joe Clements.
A native of Nacogdoches, Texas, Clements played quarterback for the Longhorns from 1955 through 1957 before moving on to have a storied high school coaching career in Houston.
Clements, who was 78 when he died Sunday, began his coaching career in 1967 at at Robert E. Lee High School in Houston. He remained there for three years before serving as head coach and athletics director at his alma mater, Huntsville High School. He compiled a 222-76-6 career record, including a 170-44-3 mark at Huntsville. At one point his teams won 51 straight district games, a 4A record which stood for 16 years. His teams made the playoffs 18 times in his 27 years on the sideline.
He was one of six individuals labeled by the Houston Chronicle as Coach of the Decade for the 1980's and chosen as 4A Coach of the Year by the Texas Sports Writers Association with the approval of the Texas High School Coaches Association in 1981. Clements was inducted into the Texas High School Football Hall of Fame in 2010.
Clements lettered three seasons (1955-57) with the Longhorns and had his most productive year in 1956 when he passed for 793 yards and rushed for another 180. His final season (1957) was the first of the Darrell Royal era.
For a complete obituary and information on services, click here.
