Michael Lutrell “Pinball” Clemons OOnt is an American-Canadian sports executive and former running back and return specialist who serves as general manager for the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League.
He was born on January 15, 1965, in Dunedin, Florida, United States.
Clemons is 5 feet 6 inches (167 cm) tall and weighs 170 pounds (77 kg).
He graduated with a degree in economics from the College of William & Mary.
Clemons joined the National Football League in 1987, and CFL’s Toronto Argonauts in 1989.
He was nicknamed “Pinball” because of his running style — his diminutive size and extraordinary balance allowed him to “bounce” between defensive players, drawing comparisons to a pinball machine.
Clemons won the Grey Cup in 1991, 1996, and 1997 with the Argonauts, and was honoured with the CFL’s “most outstanding player” award in 1990, after setting the single-season record for all-purpose yards.
Clemons played his last game as an Argonaut in 2000, before becoming head coach of the team in the same year. He led the football club to six consecutive East Division Finals, including the 2004 championship, concluding his coaching tenure with 68 wins — the second-highest in the team’s history.
In 2007, Clemons stepped down as head coach to become the chief executive officer, and in 2009, he was appointed as the vice-chair of the team.
In 2019, Clemons was named the 20th general manager of the Toronto Argonauts.
Clemons is also the founder of the Pinball Clemons Foundation, a non-profit organization that empowers youth through education.
The 57-year-old CFL star Clemons has been inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame, Ontario Sports Hall of Fame, and Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame.