McLennan's Clark named GCAA Hall of Fame Inductee

McLennan Community College's men's golf coach Vince Clark is one of six coaches named today to the 2016 Hall of Fame Class by the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA). The honorees will officially be inducted at the GCAA Hall of Fame Reception and Awards Banquet Monday, Dec. 12, in Las Vegas.

Clark became the head coach of the McLennan Community College golf team in 2007 after spending the previous six years as an assistant for the program. Since taking over the helm, Clark has led the Highlanders to three NJCAA Division I National Championships, back-to-back titles in 2009 and 2010 and another title in 2016, bringing the school's title count to four. 
 
In 2009, the team's success earned him Coach of the Year honors from Region V, the NJCAA, and the Dave Williams National Coach of the Year Award presented by Golf Pride Grips. He received the region and NJCAA awards again in 2010. He was named the NJCAA District II Coach of the Year for the 2013 season, and in 2016 was inducted into the NJCAA Men's Golf Coaches Association Hall of Fame. Clark serves as the president of the NJCAA Coaches Association and sits on several committees for the GCAA.
 
During his McLennan tenure, Clark has coached 15 PING All-American selections and eight NJCAA Academic Award winners. The team has received NJCAA All-Academic Team Honorable Mention seven times and was the NJCAA 2015-16 Academic Team of the Year with a 3.55 team GPA.

In addition to his coaching duties, Clark has taught history classes since joining the McLennan faculty in 1994. A native of Springfield, Missouri, Clark learned the game from his grandfather, a champion golfer. He earned his bachelor's degree in history in 1983 and received his law degree in 1985, both from Baylor University. He then moved to Tyler, where he practiced law for five years. But in his desire to teach, Clark returned to Baylor and earned a master's in history in 1991. He pursued graduate studies at the University of Virginia for two years before returning to Waco in 1994.

"I am honored by this GCAA award because I have so much respect for the organization," Clark said. "I am actually emotional about this because of the other coaches in our class; they are among the best in the country, especially Mike McGraw of Baylor. He is an amazing golf coach and my good friend. He was the first person to congratulate me."

Other honorees include Baylor's Mike McGraw, Tim Poe of Central Missouri, Alabama's Jay Seawell, Mike Small of Illinois and Dick Spybey of Alabama.