Sunshine State Conference

Keeping It In The Family

Men's basketball student-athlete James Paul "Bo" Clark is the most prolific scorer in Sunshine State Conference history and one of the top scorers in NCAA history. Under the leadership of his coach and father, Eugene "Torchy" Clark, he starred at the University of Central Florida* from 1975-79.

Bo's scoring prowess received substantial national media attention, culminating in late 1979 when Bo and Torchy were featured in a 1400-word, multi-page Sports Illustrated article penned by Roger Jackson, who embedded with the team for nearly two weeks to gather information for the article.

"This was really exciting at the time," commented Bo recently. "In 1979, there was no ESPN and no internet, and the majority of sports fans had a Sports Illustrated magazine delivered to their house weekly. This was a great moment for UCF, the SSC, and my family."

Bo's freshmen year coincided with the first year of the Sunshine State Conference, which celebrated its 40th Anniversary during the 2015-16 season. "My dad was one of the early forefathers of the Sunshine State Conference, along with Dick Pace, Norm Kaye, Jim Harley, and others," recalled Bo. "Looking back on those early years, I could tell the SSC was going to be a great conference, with outstanding players and coaches. I remember coming out to warm up 45 minutes before games, just to stretch and get loose, and being a little nervous as we put up our first couple practice shots because every seat in the house was taken, and you could feel the enthusiasm and excitement in the building already."

He averaged 24.1 points per game his freshmen year, playing alongside Bennie Shaw, who was drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks. When it was all said and done, Bo became UCF's all-time leader in scoring with 2,886 points. In total, he owns 13 UCF men's basketball records, surpassing a number previously held by his brother Mike, who was four years his elder and who also played for their dad.

Bo reflected recently on his decision to play for his dad, after watching Mike play for him, and laughed a little as he remembered that they never really talked about it and that his dad never put any pressure on him. He just saw his dad's energy, passion, and enthusiasm for the game and just wanted to play for him. His recruitment came down to watching his dad over the years and wanting to be a part of that experience.

Bo's top year in the SSC came in 1978-79 when he finished the season as the NCAA Division II scoring leader averaging 31.6 points per game. Clark netted 727 points in 23 games off of 315 field goals and 97 free throws. Two years prior, Clark set UCF's single-game scoring record with a 70-point effort against Florida Memorial. It stands as the 12th highest scoring game in NCAA Division-II history and is the last time a D-II student-athlete has scored 70 or more points.

If 1978-79 was the high point in Bo's career, 1977-78 had to be the low. During a scrimmage just days before the season was set to begin, he suffered a foot injury that caused him to redshirt for the entire season. He sat on the sidelines, watching his dad, teammates, and best friends reach a Top-5 ranking, win 24 consecutive games, and make the final four.

"That was a very humbling experience, sitting out my junior year while the team was having such tremendous success," commented Bo. "I was healthy in January and told Dad I was ready to return, but you don't want to do anything to a team's chemistry when they are that hot."

When asked about his son's absence from the team following the 1977-78 season, Torchy replied: "That team had a nice chemistry, but I wouldn't want to be without Bo again."

Following his senior year, Central Florida retired the three-time All-American's No. 23 jersey. Bo graduated from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in history and physical education. He also received his Master's degree from UCF.

Prior to his days at coaching UCF, Torchy guided the football and basketball teams at Xavier High School** in Appleton, Wisconsin. From 1961 to 1969, his football squads had a 63-8-1 record and won seven championships. His basketball teams went 178-14 and won eight straight titles. After some convincing by his brother Jim, he applied for the job at the University of Central Florida. Torchy coached UCF for the duration of its membership in the SSC. He piloted the Knights to five league titles in those eight years.

Since 1982, Bo has been at the helm of the men's basketball program at Flagler College. During his tenure, he coached all three of his sons: Matthew, JP, and David.

While being interviewed for this article, Bo reflected on playing for his dad, who passed away in 2009 at the age of 80. "I just wish my dad was here on this call to talk about some of these things because when we hung up, there is nothing I'd like to do more than take him to get a sandwich, and just spend a little time together."

Bo and Torchy were inducted into the Sunshine State Conference's Hall of Fame as part of the inaugural class in 1992 and remain the only father-son duo in the SSC Hall of Fame.

READ ALSO: He's a Tough Gun of a Son by Roger Jackson, Sports Illustrated (December 17, 1979)

*Named Florida Technological University until December 1978
**Now called Saint Xavier High School

[Published: 7/14/16 / Edited: 3/24/20]

The "40 Great Moments" campaign was created to bring attention to the athletic excellence, academic excellence, community engagement, and sportsmanship that has made up the Sunshine State Conference over the last 40 years. Moments were nominated by current and former student-athletes, coaches, administrators, alumni, and fans. The final 40 moments were decided upon by a vote of conference Sports Information Directors. The "40 Great Moments" campaign concluded during the Summer of 2016.

View all 40 of the SSC's Great Moments, here.