He was almost immediately promoted to the Cork senior team and won his first All-Ireland Championship as non-playing substitute in 1953 before claiming a second winners' medal on the field of the play in 1954 after scoring the winning goal in the final.
His club career ended in 1960; however, in spite of being brief he claimed a full set of available county championship medals including minor, junior, intermediate and three senior triumphs.
His association as a mentor with the Glen Rovers senior team spanned three decades and culminated with the winning of All-Ireland Club Championship titles in 1973 and 1977.
Clifford enjoyed three separate tenures as coach of the Cork senior team, while he also served as a selector in an association that lasted from the 1960s until the 1990s.
Clifford had just turned 16 when he was also drafted onto the Glen Rovers junior hurling that claimed the county championship title after a 4-06 to 3-00 victory over Mallow in the 1950 final.
He made his debut on 15 April 1951 when he scored five points in an 8-08 to 0-03 first round defeat of Seandún and was also amongst the scorers when Glen Rovers lost the final to Sarsfields.
[2] Clifford was still just 19 years old when he lined out in his second senior final in 1953, ending the game with his first winners' medal after scoring a goal in the 8-05 to 4-03 victory over Sarsfields.
After losing back-to-back finals in 1955 and 1956, a series of career-threatening injuries saw Clifford leave the Glen Rovers senior team.
[5] Clifford was an automatic inclusion on the Cork starting fifteen for the 1955 Munster Championship; however, a series of injuries brought his inter-county career to end during the 1955-56 National League.
After the premature ending of his club career, Clifford became involved as a coach and selector at all levels with Glen Rovers but particularly with the senior team.
[7] After two final defeats over the following three years, Clifford claimed a fifth county championship title in 1976, this time as team trainer with Donie O'Donovan.
[9][10] After not being a member of the backroom team for Cork's third successive All-Ireland victory in 1978, Clifford was a late addition to the selection committee as a replacement for Christy Ring following his death in March 1979.
After a one-year absence from inter-county management, Clifford returned to partner Charlie McCarthy as joint-coach of the Cork minor team.
[15] Clifford was appointed coach of the Cork senior team for the second time on 22 October 1985 following a mass clear-out of the previous selection committee.
On 23 November 1993, Clifford made a return to inter-county management when he was appointed Cork senior hurling coach for the third time in his career.
Clifford spent his entire working life with Dunlop's and was regarded as a highly effective shop steward prior to the factory's closure in 1983.