His maternal grandfather was William Dennison, Jr. (1815–1882), who served as the 24th Governor of Ohio and as U.S. Postmaster General in the Cabinet of President Abraham Lincoln during the American Civil War.

[3] The two teams played to a scoreless tie for more than 50 minutes, when Clark was tackled for a safety as he attempted to return a punt from behind the goal line.

[4] The Detroit Free Press described the play as follows: Eckersall, through failure of his team mates to advance it, was called upon to punt.

The plucky little football player, whose error of judgment lost Michigan her five years' prestige on the western gridiron, has not committed suicide, nor has he attempted anything of the sort.

When Clark's name was mentioned, the crowd cheered for three minutes, "showing that Michigan stands by the Detroit lad, and forgives his mistake.

"[8] Under modern American football rules a safety would not be scored under these circumstances since a ball carrier is always credited for any forward progression prior to contact with an opponent.

Clark became known for the rest of his life as "the man 'who lost the Michigan - Chicago football game in 1905.

"[4] In 1926, Chicago coach Amos Alonzo Stagg published an article in the Saturday Evening Post claiming that Clark had immediately withdrawn from school after the loss because "conditions at the university became intolerable.

Clark stated that he went to his home in Detroit after the game, but he returned to the university after the Thanksgiving holiday and remained there until the school year ended in 1906.

[10] During World War I, Clark served as a captain in the United States Army Air Service.

"[9] His suicide note also reportedly expressed hope that his "final play" would atone for his error at Marshall Field in 1905.