Torchy Clark

Torchy Clark (1929-2009)

Teams coached: Florida Tech Knights
Florida Tech record^: 268-84 (.761)
Overall record^: 268-84 (.761)

Career Accomplishments:

• NCAA National Championships:  0
• NCAA Tournament Appearances:  0
• NIT Championships:  0
• NIT Appearances:  0
• Sunshine State (Div II) Regular Season Champion:  4  (1976, 1977, 1978, 1981, 1982)
• Sunshine State (Div II) Tournament Champion:  1  (1978)
• NCAA Division II Final Four:  1  (1978)
• NCAA Division II Tournament Appearances:  6  (1976, 1977, 1978, 1980, 1981, 1982)

Awards:

• Sunshine State (Div II) Coach of the Year:  4

Coaching Career (head coach, unless noted):

1969-1983

Florida Tech

Torchy Clark Facts

• Eugene “Torchy” Clark
• Born January 1, 1929
• Died April 22, 2009
• Hometown: Appleton, Wisconsin
• Alma Mater: Marquette University (BA, 1951)
• The Wisconsin-native played collegiately at Marquette for head coach Bill Chandler
• Started his coaching career back in his hometown of Appleton, working initially at St. Mary’s Grade School
• Became the first-ever head basketball and football coach at the newly-opened Xavier HS in 1959
  • Went 208-26 in 10 seasons in basketball, won a state title in 1963 and was inducted into the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches HOF
  • Was also the athletic director at the school and spent some time coaching boys’ tennis
  • Won seven conference championships in eight years as the varsity football coach; he went 69-9-2 overall
• Became the first head coach at UCF, then known as Florida Tech, in 1969 – the program was just starting out as an independent
  • Led the Knights for fourteen seasons, a tenure that included the move into NCAA Division II and the Sunshine State Conference in 1975
  • Went 268-84 overall, winning five Sunshine State titles and going to six D-II NCAA Tournaments; reached the Final Four in 1978
  • Inducted into both the Florida Sports HOF and the Sunshine State Conference HOF
  • Continued working at the school after he stopped coaching, spending a number of years with the education department
• Passed away in April 2009 at the age of 80 after a battle with cancer
  • Coached both of his sons; by the time he left, his sons Bo and Mike were first and second in career scoring at UCF, respectively

Torchy Clark Coaching Tree

• Bo Clark (Flagler)

 

^ overall and UCF records are for seasons at the non-member and NCAA Division II levels only; UCF moved up to Division I in 1984