SAM CLAPHAN REMEMBERED
By Gregg Stilwell
Former Stilwell Indian, Oklahoma Sooner and San Diego
Charger Sam Claphan died of a heart attack Monday November 26, 2001. This is his
story.
In the late summer of 1970 Stilwell high school head football coach Joe
White approached an incoming Freshman from Zion school about trying out for the
Indians football team. It took a little convincing, after all , the young man
had never played organized football in his life. Finally the Zion prospect
agreed to the tryout. That former Zion Jet was "Sammy" Jack Claphan.
Claphan showed a natural propensity for football and was named as a member of
the 1970 varsity Indians as a Freshman. By the next season Claphan had gained a
starting job on the offensive and defensive lines. Claphan was an integral part
of one of Stilwell's greatest ensemble cast which led the Indians to a
surprising District 2A-6 championship and a State Quarterfinals appearance.
Claphan was a versatile athlete during his high school career lettering in
football, basketball, wrestling and track. During his first year back at
Stilwell as an assistant coach in 1996 he played in Stilwell's alumni baseball
game, indicating he would have played in that sport had it been offered at SHS
during his high school years. As a Senior Claphan was named NOAA All-Conference,
All-State, and Parade All-American in football. Sam was honored in basketball as
NOAA Conference player of the year and held the school record for most points
scored in a career until his brother Larry broke his record a few years later.
Claphan's Stilwell football jersey # 70 was retired by the school in the
mid-eighties.
After graduating from SHS, Claphan headed to the University of Oklahoma on a
football scholarship. Claphan was redshirted during Barry Switzer's first
National Championship season in 1974 and played only a few downs as a Freshman
for OU's 1975 National Title squad. By 1976, Claphan had earned a starting job
as a special teams lineman and offensive guard. The 1976 season was capped by a
41-7 victory over Wyoming in the Fiesta Bowl.
The next season Claphan would play in a game voted by Sooners Illustrated
readers as the OU game of the century in a poll conducted in 2000. The game was
Oklahoma's 29-28 victory at Ohio State on September 24. The Sooners shocked the
Columbus crowd by jumping out to a 20-0 third quarter lead. However stars Thomas
Lott (QB) and Billy Sims (HB) were knocked out of the game and coach Woody
Hayes' Buckeyes roared back to take a 28-20 lead. The Sooners with Claphan at
right guard scored with 1:29 left in the game but were left trailing after the
two-point conversion attempt failed. That's when Barry Switzer brewed up some of
his patented "Sooner Magic" . Oklahoma recovered the onside kick and were in
business when Dean Blevins hit Steve Rhodes with a pass completion to the Ohio
State 24 yard line with three seconds left. Coach Switzer sent in Uwe von
Schamann to attempt a 41 yard field goal. In a play that would come to be known
in Sooner lore as "The Kick", Von Schamann nailed the field goal for the OU win.
Claphan could clearly be seen on the cover of "Sports Illustrated" the next week
blocking the Buckeye's All-Big Ten Middle Guard Aaron Brown, thwarting his
attempt to block the game winning kick.
By Claphan's Senior season of 1978, he and his linemates had gelled into the
most dominant offensive line in the country and helped clear the way for Billy
Sims to gain 1,762 rushing yards and the Heisman Trophy. The '78 Sooners are
considered by many to be the best team to not win a National Championship. When
Billy Sims fumbled at the Nebraska 3 yard line after a twisting 19 yard run with
three minutes left to play, the championship dreams were dashed in a 17-14 loss
at Lincoln. Claphan would play his final collegiate game on January 1, 1979,
with OU avenging their only loss by downing the Huskers 31-24 in the Orange
Bowl. Including Sam's redshirt season the Sooners went 52-6-1 while Claphan was
on the Sooners campus.
Professional football came knocking on Claphan's door in the spring of 1979. Sam
was picked in the second round - the 47th pick overall - by the Cleveland
Browns. A preseason injury prevented him from making the Cleveland roster, but
he would be picked up in 1980 by the San Diego Chargers.
The 6'7" 285 pound Claphan would spend the 1980 season on the Chargers taxi
squad before finally earning a starting position in 1981. Claphan made the
transition from Switzer's ground assault "Wishbone" to Don Coryell's pass first
ask questions later "Air Coryell" offense smoothly. The Chargers went 10-6 in
1981 with Claphan seeing most of his action as a special teams lineman. Once
again Sam found himself playing in one of the greatest games in football
history.
Playing at Miami in the AFC Semi-Finals, San Diego jumped out to a 24-0 first
quarter lead. The Dolphins came storming back to tie the game. A
hook-and-lateral from Don Strock to Nat Moore to Tony Nathan pulled Miami to
within 7 at halftime. A Joe Rose TD pass tied the game at 24 in the third
quarter. The two teams exchanged touchdowns throughout the remainder of the game
to send the game into overtime at 38-38. San Diego would win a berth to the AFC
championship game on Rolf Benirscke's 24 yard field goal late in the first
overtime period. Claphan was on the field blocking for five extra points and two
field goals. Alongside Sam on the special teams blocking line was Hall of Famer
Kellen Winslow. Winslow caught 13 passes for 166 yards in the game. After the
game winning field goal, Claphan helped carry the dehydrated Winslow of the
field. That moment can still be seen in commercials for the ESPN Classic
network.
The Charger's Super Bowl dreams would freeze the next week at Cincinnati in the
coldest game in NFL history. The game time temperature was 11 below zero with a
wind chill factor of 59 below zero. The Bengals bested San Diego 27-7 to earn a
trip to Super Bowl XVI.
In 1979 Claphan won the starting left guard job and performed so well he was
eventually moved to left tackle, a job that held the responsibility of
protecting Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Fouts' blind side. Claphan remained as
the starting left tackle through the 1987 season. Of Oklahoma's offensive
linemen who made a NFL roster, only Ken Mendenhall played more seasons than
Sam's nine. Claphan's #77 Chargers jersey was placed in the Stilwell High School
trophy case in the early nineties.
On April 30th 1994, Sam was honored for his athletic career by being inducted
into the American Indian Athletic Hall of Fame in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
After serving as an assistant football coach at Midwest City Carl Albert High
School, Sam returned to Stilwell in 1996. Claphan served as line coach and was
able to shape the Indian blocking corps into a powerful unit helping Bill Scott
make the playoffs in his final season as a head coach in 1997.
Claphan was named as Scott's successor in 1998. Sam's first season went well.
The Indians surprised the experts and had a chance to win the 4A-4 district
championship if they could beat Sallisaw at James Bradley Memorial Athletic Park
in week ten. The visiting Black Diamonds prevailed however and Stilwell dropped
down to the fourth place playoff spot where the season ended with a hard fought
loss in the fog at Coweta. The 6-5 season was the only winning season in the
decade of the nineties for Stilwell.
Claphan's 1999 season would be his last as head coach. The Indians offense
struggled throughout the season and Stilwell ended at 1-9 with the only win
being a 9-6 victory over a winless Hugo squad. Claphan remained employed by the
Stilwell school system teaching Special Education - his major at the University
of Oklahoma - until his death.
Claphan was 45.