Ben Davis High School Athletic Director to Retire June 30

John Clark, athletic director at Ben Davis High School since 2010, will retire at the end of the 2021-22 school year.

Mr. Clark has served children in the MSD of Wayne Township for 50 years, starting his teaching and coaching career at Ben Davis in 1972. He graduated from Ball State University with a bachelor’s degree in 1972 and a master’s degree in 1973.

Earlier in his career, Mr. Clark coached or acted as assistant coach for many sports at Ben Davis, including football, track, softball, and basketball. He became assistant athletic director at the school in 2002, and assumed the role of athletic director in 2010. He has also taught leadership training courses for the Indiana Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association since 2007.

“John Clark is Ben Davis High School,” said the school’s principal Sandra Squire. “You cannot walk 10 feet, or drive 10 yards on the westside, without finding someone who John taught or coached, or who coached  or worked for John. John Clark is exactly what it means to be a Giant.”

Mr. Clark was co-founder of the Indiana Girls Softball Association, and served on the board of directors of the Marion County Coaches of Girls Sports Association. He has received numerous awards and honors, including the Indiana Coaches of Girls Sports Association’s District Coach of the Year Award and the National Federation Coaches Association Coach of the Year Award. He was Ben Davis High School Teacher of the Year in 2003.

“He has a big heart,” Stan Benge, head girls basketball coach at Ben Davis, said of Mr. Clark. “He would do anything for Ben Davis. I appreciate all that he has done for Ben Davis Athletics.”

“From his days coaching football and softball to the countless hours he gave administering and supporting athletics, Mr. Clark will always be talked about among those that gave their all for Ben Davis High School,” said Jason Simmons, head football coach at Ben Davis. “He was a selfless leader that did anything and everything he could to provide for the athletic teams. We owe a lot to him, his wife Carol, and their family for all of their work and sacrifice to make Ben Davis a special place.”

ABOUT THE MSD OF WAYNE TOWNSHIP
The Metropolitan School District of Wayne Township provides multiple pathways to success for more than 16,000 students, preschool through high school. Located on the west side of Indianapolis, MSD Wayne works in partnership with the Wayne Township community to help every learner achieve excellence.  To learn more about MSD Wayne, visit www.wayne.k12.in.us, or follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/msdwaynetownship/ and Twitter @WayneTwpSchools and @WayneTwpSuper.