Denmark goes deep

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This article was published 29/07/2015 (3754 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Clarence Denmark knows a thing or two about getting open but admits he’s not as good at opening up.

It takes a little while. Maybe it’s the second glass of wine, or maybe it’s the restaurant’s buzzing atmosphere. Perhaps it’s the breaking down of some barriers and the building of a little trust. Eventually, the confidence and will that make Denmark different than most begins to show.

Now in his fifth season with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Denmark has become one of the club’s most important and consistent offensive weapons. Last season he caught 65 passes for 1,080 yards and was second in the league in receiving yards. Denmark is an all-star and one of the best in the CFL at his job.

The 29-year-old native of Jacksonville, Fla. agreed to spend a few hours over a meal to talk football and life. The Bombers are coming off two dispiriting losses which featured uneven play. This club needs consistency, the kind provided by Denmark on a day-in and day-out basis.

He nibbled on The 887 — a signature pie at Pizzeria Gusto — over a two-hour dinner. Dessert was a must, and Denmark raved about the combination of salt, olive oil and chocolate in the Academy Road bistro’s flourless Budino Tart.

Certainly he’s talented, and the 4.28 time in the 40-yard dash when he came out of college is based on genetic gifts, but it’s his drive of which Denmark is most proud and upon which he is reliant.

“Guys tell me all the time that I should take a day off practice,” he says. “That I’ve been around long enough to take a day off now and again. Not me. It’s the work in the week that gives me my edge in the game.

“In five years, I’ve missed one game and one practice. Both when my father died. It’s not easy playing a game knowing your father is on life support and that your family is suffering and you’re not there to provide strength. But this is my profession and it’s how I get paid and it enables me to help my family. So, sometimes, you have to fight through the pain.”

Denmark has steadily improved and last season finished second in the CFL in receiving yards and sits sixth this season after five games. Yet he’s rarely mentioned as one of the game’s best.

“He’s one of the most underrated receivers in the CFL,” says Bombers legend turned TV analyst Milt Stegall. “You don’t notice Clarence for anything but making plays. But every year now, at the end of the season when you look at the numbers for receivers, his name is right near the top.”

Football is easy to talk about. It’s the language Denmark speaks best. But behind those eyes, the wheels are always spinning. He looks around the restaurant and notices the families laughing and sharing.

“That’s what I want in life. To be comfortable and to have family and to enjoy my life,” he says.

Denmark and his girlfriend Shellian met during his first season in Winnipeg and recently had a boy named Deondre. She’s from Winnipeg and Denmark, who doesn’t like the idea of our winters, says they’re in negotiations about a change of address for the whole crew when the season ends.

“I was kind of just being a wingman for a buddy and then we fell into this long conversation. I was just coming out of a relationship and we became friends first and just sort of built on it over time. She’s down to earth. My family is my priority. I want to be there for my son. His being born is the greatest thing that ever happened to me,” said Denmark.

Denmark’s relationship with his own father was at times problematic, which he says is typical in the neighbourhood in which he grew up in Jacksonville.

“My dad and my mom split up when I was young. He wasn’t around much. He owned a tire shop, repairing tires for 18-wheelers. If I wanted to work, I could be around him. But that was the only way,” said Denmark. “It was OK because it paid well and it meant I always had some money in my pocket. My friends at home, only a few of them had their dads in the picture. To me, a boy needs a father. It’s easy to go the wrong way and make the wrong decisions. A father can help steer you down the right path.

“My relationship with my dad was strange. When I told him I wanted to go to college and play football, he didn’t want me to go. He wanted me to work with him. That’s messed up. But I didn’t want to work there. We figured things out a little later and when he died (in 2012), we were in a good place.”

Football always came easy to Denmark. He could run and he could catch. Eventually, he found his way to the NFL and spent the 2009 and 2010 seasons on the practice roster with the Jacksonville Jaguars before making the move to the CFL in 2011.

“I was offered a contract by Edmonton coming out of college. (Eskimos scout) Paul Jones came down and he had on these Grey Cup rings on his fingers and he said to me, ‘If you want one of these you’ll sign with us.’ I had only seen the CFL on TV a few times. It was always Calgary and Toronto. I thought there were only two teams in the league,” laughed Denmark, who rebuffed Jones to join the Jaguars and eventually signed in Winnipeg.

Denmark says he left the NFL because he wanted to play in games and not just make money as a practice player.

“In the end, I’m not confined to just being a football player. I can do other things and I will when football is over. I could have hung around and eventually got to play in the NFL. Why do I say that? Well, and I don’t mean to put anyone down, but I was better than the guys ahead of me that were playing,” said Denmark. “Almost all those guys who were in Jacksonville have ended up in the CFL. I wanted to play. You only have so much time. Money is great. But it can come from other things and I plan on being successful after football and not sitting on the couch and worrying about what might have been. I came to Winnipeg and I’m so thankful for that. This is a great place to play. This has been a great thing in my life. Coming here and getting to play and contribute to the Blue Bombers.”

Denmark grew up in a small rented house with his mother and his brother. He’s set to make $140,000 this year and a good portion of that goes home to his mother in Jacksonville who lost her job with an insurance company a few years ago. Denmark says family and friends are the most important things in his life.

“I’m shy. So sometimes I don’t say much. But I love being around people. We like to cook out. We get the music going and the grill and the kids are running around and it’s the happiest way to be,” said Denmark, who adds seeing his family suffer is the one thing he can’t bear. “I don’t cry. But I’m a big momma’s boy and when my mom cries, that makes me cry. I hate seeing that. I’ll do anything to make that stop.”

Bombers veteran centre Dominic Picard broke into the CFL in 2006, when Stegall was his teammate and on top of his game. He says there are similarities.

“I can’t say Clarence is the same player as Milt. But I can say he works just like him. Watching him prepare and how he practices, it reminds me of Milt,” said Picard. “Every rep in practice, time in the film room. I noticed him right away when I got here. He does things the right way.”

Upon arriving in Winnipeg — and not knowing the CFL game — Denmark says then-Bombers coach Paul LaPolice taught him some important lessons.

“I could always run, but Coach LaPolice, he got me thinking. He said I could get open before the play even started. I just looked at him funny,” recalls Denmark. “But then he started teaching me about angles and speeds and how to use the waggle. He taught me so much that first year. I really have to point that out. Coach (Markus) Howell has really taught me a lot too. He’s grown into the job during my time here. He does a great job with us receivers.”

For Denmark, Winnipeg is a good fit as a football city and as a place to live. I asked him if he’s ever experienced racism in this city and he said no. Not in this city, or in Canada.

“I went to junior college in Mississippi. Professors and teachers would have you tabbed for a thug before you even opened your mouth,” said Denmark. “That hasn’t been my experience in Winnipeg. People here want to get to know you before they make up their mind on you. You can’t change people’s minds if they’re closed.”

Finally the subject turns to winning. Denmark says he’s had the opportunity to go elsewhere but as he says, “winning a Grey Cup with another team just wouldn’t feel right. I want to win here.” 

gary.lawless@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @garylawless