Dolezel Hopes to Make No. 13 Lucky for Philadelphia
December 1, 2011 - Arena Football League (AFL)
Philadelphia Soul News Release
Superstition is a curious thing.
Black cats, broken mirrors and walking under ladders are all superstitions that are supposed to bring "bad luck."
Take for instance, the No. 13. Some fear it and consider the number to be unlucky. They believe that it brings misfortune and avoid the number whenever possible. In sports, many athletes avoid the number for fear of the havoc that it may bring.
For one certain person, the No. 13 is embraced.
Former AFL quarterback and current Philadelphia Soul assistant head coach and offensive coordinator, Clint Dolezel put a positive spin on the superstition and turned it into a future induction into the Arena Football League Hall of Fame.
"I wore the No. 12 in high school because of [former Dallas Cowboy QB] Roger Staubach," Dolezel said. "When I went to college, No. 12 was taken, so I settled on No. 13. I wanted to change the negative stereotype that came with it."
And change it he did.
After stops in Milwaukee, Houston, Grand Rapids, Las Vegas and Dallas, No. 13 became one of the most prolific passers in Arena Football League history. The list of his accomplishments is staggering.
Dolezel is No. 2 in career passing yards (44,564) and touchdown passes (931). Clint is also the only quarterback in AFL history to throw for over 400 yards in a game six times and matched one of the League's most vaunted records by throwing for 11 touchdowns in a game three different times. He threw for over 100 touchdowns in a season twice (2006-07) and led his team to a 15-win season (15-1 in 2007). He also has a championship to his credit when he led the Grand Rapids Rampage to the title in 2001.
Clint was born in Waco, Texas - the youngest of three boys to Johnnie and Judy Dolezel. Besides playing football, Clint also lettered in track, still holding school records for the javelin, and played on the golf team. He credits gaining his competitive edge from his family.
"We're all very competitive," Clint said. "If you asked any of us who the best athlete in the family was - you'd probably get a different answer from each one of us. But, my mom is probably the best athlete in the family."
Clint's desire to play football flourished in junior high school. That is when he knew that he wanted to be a quarterback.
"Both of my brothers [Steve and Lance] were wide receivers," Dolezel said. "I wanted to do something different. I wanted to be a quarterback."
Dolezel began his college career at Cisco Junior College where he earned Second Team All-Conference honors under the direction of former Milwaukee Mustangs head coach Rick Frazier. He then transferred to East Texas State where he was twice a Second Team All-Lone Star Conference selection.
Undrafted out of college, Dolezel attended the Cleveland Browns' camp as a free agent in 1994, but was later cut. That is when he first looked into Arena Football.
Dolezel got a call from fellow East Texas State alumnus and former Philadelphia Soul head coach, Michael Trigg, then coach of the Milwaukee Mustangs, and asked Dolezel if he'd like to give Arena Football a try.
Dolezel spent two years in Milwaukee before Trigg gave Clint the biggest break of his AFL career - a trade to Houston.
"Looking back - he did me a favor," Dolezel said.
In Milwaukee, Dolezel was playing behind the league's then-all-time passing leader, Todd Hammel, and didn't have the opportunity get any significant playing time. Houston would provide him with a shot at the starting job.
When he made it to Houston in 1997, he still wasn't first in line. Dolezel battled Marty Lowe and lost. Fate would come into play when Lowe suffered an injury in the first game and Dolezel was called on to step in.
"Marty outplayed me - there was no question about it," Dolezel recalled. "But when he went down, I knew that I had to take advantage of the opportunity."
So that's exactly what he did. Dolezel finished the year with 3,377 passing yards and 69 touchdowns - and that was just the beginning.
In 1998, he became the third player to throw for over 80 touchdowns in a single-season and the first to do it twice (1999) and three times (2001). He had clearly joined the list of elite quarterbacks in the AFL.
When another No. 13 and former AFL star, Kurt Warner, exploded on the NFL scene in 1999, Dolezel never doubted Kurt's ability.
"It was obvious after the first couple of games that Kurt wasn't a fluke," Dolezel said. "Teams were able to see him and gear their defenses around stopping him and they still couldn't do it. Kurt put AFL QBs on the map. He turned the eyes of the NFL toward the Arena League."
In 2000, a pair of those eyes belonged to Chicago Bears' Vice President of Player Personnel, Mark Hatley.
Hatley had contacted his friend and former Tampa Bay coach Tim Marcum about quarterbacks in the AFL and Marcum told him of Dolezel. Clint got a workout with the Bears that February and was brought to training camp to try to earn a spot on the roster.
Marcum said that he believed that Dolezel had the ability to make an NFL roster.
"To compare anybody to what Kurt did would be unfair," Marcum said back in 2000. "But I saw a lot of similarities between Dolezel and Warner. They were tough competitors, accurate passers, and natural leaders. Clint took his team to the playoffs [in 1998] and he has the ability to take a team to the next level."
Despite not sticking with the Bears in 2000, Dolezel proved Marcum's assessment correct when he returned to the AFL and led the Rampage to an ArenaBowl XV title in 2001. It was also the year that Dolezel knew that coaching would be in his future. In 2001, Dolezel was given offensive coordinator duties in addition to taking snaps.
"When I was given the reigns of the offense, I knew that was something that I would want to do when my playing career was done," Dolezel said. "It was the start of my growth on the coaching side as I began to learn more about managing personalities and developing the skill of how to coach guys up in different ways. Every player is different and need to be motivated in different ways. Those are coaching skills that I continue to develop even today."
Dolezel finished his brilliant 13-year playing career in 2008 with the Dallas Desperados with amazing career numbers: completed 3,749-of-5,698 passes (65.8 percent), a QB Rating of 117.75 and 95 victories as a starting quarterback.
At the end of 2008, his professional football career turned to coaching "full-time" when he became the offensive coordinator for the af2's Florida Firecats in 2009. The following year, he landed his first head coaching gig in the Indoor Football League in San Angelo, TX and finished 10-4.
In 2011, Clint got his first chance as a head coach in the AFL and led the Dallas Vigilantes to an 11-7 regular season mark and a playoff appearance.
Under his guidance, FB Derrick Ross shattered the single-season rushing mark in yards (622) and had an impressive 39 touchdowns. WR Tiger Jones earned Cutter's Wide Receiver of the Year honors with 171 receptions for 2,232 yards and 42 touchdowns. Ross and Jones earned First Team All-Arena accolades. Defensively, DL/LB Dusty Bear tallied 11.0 sacks on his way to Second Team All-Arena honors.
Dolezel's star pupil was first-year starter and current Soul QB Dan Raudabaugh, who had a breakout season by completing 360-of-557 passes for 4,771 yards and 90 touchdowns. Raudabaugh also has a career TD-to-interception ratio of 16.6-to-1, which is No. 7 all-time.
"I think what has helped make me become successful in coaching is that the players respect me because I've 'been there and done that'," Dolezel said. "When a player is taught and receives praise from a guy who has walked in their shoes - it tends to mean a lot more."
Dolezel's long road turned into Philadelphia when it was announced that Dallas was not returning this season. The Soul jumped at the opportunity to bring Dolezel and his offensive expertise to the City of Brotherly Love in 2012 to help the team bring back their first championship since 2008.
And apparently his coaching philosophy and the respect from players has been working.
Seven of his top players from Dallas - Ross, Jones, Raudabaugh, Christian Johnson, Zipp Duncan, Keon Perry and Joe Goosby - have followed him to Philadelphia.
"One of the reasons why we went after Clint was because we have so much respect for his offense and the competitiveness that his teams brought to the field," said Soul head coach Doug Plank. "The addition of Clint to this organization means that we just took a major step toward bringing the championship back to Philadelphia."
In the offseason, Clint is the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for Parish Episcopal High School in Dallas, TX for the past three years. The team made it to the state tournament each of the last three years and won the 4A state title in 2010. Clint resides in Lantana, TX with his wife Kris, a daughter, Molly Kate, and a son, Trevor.
"I enjoyed my playing career and I get to continue to work in the sport I love with my wife and family by my side," Dolezel said. "I know I wouldn't be able to do this without the support I get from home. I have truly been blessed and count myself lucky."
And the Soul fans hope that they can count themselves lucky in New Orleans on August 10, 2012 - "Lucky No. 13".
Arena Football League Stories from December 1, 2011
- Rattlers Announce Pre-Season Open Tryout Date - Arizona Rattlers
- Rattlers Add Former Longhorn to the Roster - Arizona Rattlers
- Shock Announce Dance Team Tryouts - Spokane Shock
- Dolezel Hopes to Make No. 13 Lucky for Philadelphia - Philadelphia Soul
- Second Annual Public Safety Memorial Bowl December 10 at Skyway Park - Tampa Bay Storm
- Milwaukee Mustangs Move Downtown - Milwaukee Mustangs
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