Deondri Clark begins his first season as the Director of Operations / Chief of Staff for the Alabama State football program beginning in 2022.
He comes to Montgomery with experience at every level of coaching and administration, including serving as the head coach at Fort Valley State where he finished with a 19-14 record (48-27 career record). Clark has served in a variety of roles including an educator at the high school level and a lecturer at the university level.
Clark has coaching stints at Lane and Morgan State where he served as the defensive line coach at both institutions. During his time at Fort Valley State from 2007 to 2008, he also served as the interim athletic director. He also served in roles at Benedict and as a graduate assistant at Central Michigan.
Some his accomplishments throughout his tenure include improved the academic performance of football student-athletes; identified student-athletes with specific learning related issues and programmed successful individual study support; implemented Sankofa, a father/son reclamation initiative to encourage parent/student-athlete involvement and support; spear-headed a joint admissions/athletic recruiting process, helping the University to have a historical all-time record high in enrollment; and developed a cultural and educational module for away games to provide a complete educational experience for student-athletes.
He also served as the head coach at Shaw for three years where he compiled a 29-13 record with a 2004 conference championship. He was named Coach of the Year by three different organizations.
A four-year letterwinner at Florida State, Clark participated in the Fiesta, Cotton, Blockbuster, and Orange Bowls throughout his career. He helped the team win the first of 13 consecutive ACC championships and the team finished 42-7 overall during his career.
