Clark Haggans
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Career Summary
Clark Haggans was an outside linebacker who played 13 NFL seasons with Pittsburgh, Arizona, and San Francisco.
NFL.com records 172 regular-season games, 46.5 sacks, 411 tackles, 16 forced fumbles, and an interception during his career.
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Early Life
Haggans grew up in Southern California.
Colorado State's 1996 media guide lists Torrance, California, as his hometown.
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High School
Haggans attended Peninsula High School.
Colorado State's 1996 media guide says he earned three varsity letters in football, basketball, and track, and was an all-league tight end and defensive tackle in 1993 and 1994.
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College Career
Haggans played at Colorado State from 1996 through 1999 and left as the program's career sacks leader.
Colorado State credits him with 33 career sacks and 54 tackles for loss. The Rams' Hall of Fame profile also lists second-team All-WAC honors in 1998, first-team All-Mountain West recognition in 1999, and conference titles in 1997 and 1999.
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Path to the NFL
Pittsburgh selected Haggans in the fifth round of the 2000 NFL Draft.
Colorado State's Hall of Fame profile identifies the Steelers as the team that drafted him after his Rams career.
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NFL Career
Haggans spent eight seasons with Pittsburgh, four with Arizona, and his final season with San Francisco.
NFL.com lists his Steelers tenure from 2000 through 2007, Arizona from 2008 through 2011, and San Francisco in 2012. His nine sacks in 2005 were his highest single-season total in the NFL statistics.
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Career Accomplishments
Haggans was a Super Bowl XL champion with the Steelers and later appeared with Arizona on another Super Bowl team.
The NFL identifies him as a Super Bowl XL winner, while Colorado State notes that he played on three Super Bowl teams over his professional career.
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Playing Style
Haggans combined pass-rushing work with a significant special-teams role early in his Pittsburgh career.
Pittsburgh's 2003 media guide describes him as a pass-rushing specialist in passing situations in 2002, when he recorded 6.5 sacks. The NFL later noted that he first established himself as a special-teams ace before moving into a larger defensive role.
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Legacy
Haggans is remembered as a Colorado State Hall of Famer, Super Bowl champion, and long-serving NFL linebacker.
Colorado State inducted him into its Athletics Hall of Fame in 2015 and continued to recognize his school-record 33 career sacks. He died on June 19, 2023, at age 46.
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18784, 00-0019538, 1977-01-10, Clark Haggans, Clark, Haggans
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