"[4][5] He led the football team to a championship in 1911[6] while playing quarterback and was described in a 1925 article as being widely regarded as the "greatest catcher Central ever had.

"[2] Prior to his coaching career, Clingenpeel worked for seven years as a journalist for The Kansas City Star.

[9] In his first season as football coach, Clingenpeel led the team to "distinct success" after they had gone through "disappointment" in the past several years, compiling an overall record of 4–3, with wins over Tarkio (21–3), William Jewell (7–0), Kirksville (12–0), and Westminster (53–0), along with losses against Warrensburg (20–7), Drury (35–0), and Missouri Wesleyan (20–7), good enough for a second-place finish in the conference.

[10] After the 1916–17 sports season, Clingenpeel left Central to become the athletic director at Austin College in Sherman, Texas.

[11] The Kansas City Star recapped his three-year stint at the school: Clingenpeel leaves the Missouri conference, in which he has been a fine factor, with a reputation for excellent sportsmanship and proved coaching ability.

"Cling" was graduate coach and director at Central for several years and during his regime the Fayette College more than held its own in state conference circles.

In addition to the success that crowned his coaching efforts Clingenpeel's teams had an excellent reputation for clean, sportsmanlike play.

[14] In his first year as basketball coach, he turned out an "exceptional" team which won the conference championship in a "romp.

[16] The next year, they posted one of the best high school seasons ever in that section of the country, according to The Kansas City Star.

[21] He was again correct, and turned out a team that was among the best in school history, winning the championship,[b] their first in 15 years, despite being outweighed by all their inter-conference opponents.

[29] The Kansas City Star sports editor wrote that, "There's something wrong somewhere in a case like that," considering that Clingenpeel had served the college for nearly two decades, took a year off from illness, and was then abruptly notified that he had been dismissed after returning to health.