Frank Clarke, one of the first to wear the star for the Dallas Cowboys, died at the age of 84 on Wednesday night.

Clarke, who had been living in McKinney, played for 11 seasons in the NFL with the Cleveland Browns and Dallas Cowboys. Clarke scored 50 NFL touchdowns, and caught 291 passes for 5,426 yards.

Clarke was drafted in 1956 out of college from Colorado, where he is honored in the Colorado Buffs Hall of Fame. His 31.3 yards per catch average in 1955 remains a school record.

Former Cowboys executive Gil Brandt said Clarke was a big-play receiver who was picked up from Cleveland in the supplemental draft when the NFL expanded to Dallas in 1960. Clarke was a key player for Dallas in the Green Bay “Ice Bowl” NFL Championship game, won by the Packers. That turned out to be his last game.

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After his NFL career, Clarke went on to sports broadcasting on WFAA Channel 8.

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