Hall of Fame
A four-year letterwinner in football for the Lions, Joe Clifton was a three-year starter at fullback. Over the course of his career, he would rewrite almost all of TCNJ’s rushing records, while earning numerous awards for his play on the gridiron.
Named the 1987 recipient of the Delaware Valley Chapter of the National Football Foundation Earl H. Dean Scholar-Athlete Award, Clifton was a two-time NJAC All-Star pick on the first team as a junior and a senior after elevating his game in his final two campaigns.
As a junior in 1986, he carried the ball 148 times for 804 yards with nine touchdowns, including a long carry of 60 yards. He lost only four yards all season when carrying the ball for the Lions. Against Pace that year, he ran for a personal-best 204 yards and scored twice. In the season finale against Ramapo, he totaled 164 yards with three scores on 22 carries to highlight a 30-19 win and earn ECAC Honor Roll honors in the process.
He would turn up his play a few notches the next season as he would break several of the Lion football records, records which still stand today. Among the records established during his career, he established a single-game record for most yards in a game (300) in the Lions’ 1987 match-up with Ramapo. He also rushed the ball 47 times in the same contest to break the record, while adding four rushing scores as well. He wrapped up the 1987 season with a school-record 223 carries. He led the team with nine touchdowns and adding three catches for 28 yards to finish the season as the team’s scoring leader with 54 points.
He was ranked 17th in Division III among ground-gainers with his 117.6 per game average. He was a 1987 CoSIDA Academic All-America All-District Team honoree after also excelling in the classroom, Clifton eclipsed the 100-yard rushing mark seven times during the season.
Over the course of his Lion career, he would appear in 36 games with 400 carries for 2,188 rushing yards, while adding 20 touchdowns.
After graduation from TCNJ, Clifton returned to the gridiron as a coach. He served as a coach at his alma mater, Holy Spirit High School, before a stint at nearby Ewing High School in 1989. Active in his community, Clifton coaches North Howell’s Little League Tee-Ball team for several years as well as the Red Bank Armory Hockey Team and the Howell Recreation Basketball Team.
Clifton remains active in the Howell Youth Sports program as well as a member of St. Catherine’s of Siena Parish, having served as a member of the golf committee and the Homebound Ministry.
As the 1995 Salesperson of the Year for the Oxford Health Plans, Clifton was one of Oxford’s Top Performers at the Sales Conference for three years running from 1994 to 1996. He remains an active supporter of TCNJ’s football program, annually attending numerous GridIrion Group functions as well as the Annual Football Golf Outing.
