01
The Player
Dave competed on crutches, prepared like a professional and earned his place through performance rather than sympathy.
Baseball history • perseverance • leadership
Dave Clark & the Indianapolis Clowns.
Dave Clark played for the Indianapolis Clowns and is the current owner of the historic franchise, having purchased the team in full from George Long. His legacy spans the field, the dugout and the front office—and reflects a lifetime of refusing to let other people define what is possible.
Dave Clark at Comiskey Park
Former Clowns Player
Pitcher during the mid-1970s
Current Franchise Owner
Purchased the team in full from George Long
Baseball Leader
Player, coach, manager and owner
Barrier Breaker
Focused on ability, effort and preparation
From crutches to champion to owner
A legacy built on performance, preparation and belief.
Dave Clark contracted polio as an infant, losing the use of his legs. Instead of allowing that reality to define him, he built his life around strength, discipline and work ethic—focusing on what he could do and what he could control.
Baseball became his proving ground. As a player with the Indianapolis Clowns in the mid-1970s, Dave earned respect through performance and preparation. After purchasing the Indianapolis Clowns in full from George Long, Dave became the team’s owner and continues that standard—demanding effort, accountability and real baseball beneath the entertainment.
The uniform changed. The standard never did.
A three-part legacy
Player. Leader. Owner.
Dave’s relationship with the Indianapolis Clowns reflects a life in baseball shaped by resilience, accountability and the belief that performance earns respect.
02
The Leader
His career became a lesson in discipline, responsibility and the power of challenging assumptions about ability.
03
The Owner
Today, as the current owner of the Indianapolis Clowns, Dave carries the historic name forward after purchasing the team in full from George Long, the franchise’s third owner.
Photo archive
Moments from the Indianapolis Clowns legacy.
Historic team photos and personal images preserve the people, relationships and baseball experiences behind the story.
The legacy continues
From baseball history to building opportunity today.
Dave’s baseball journey is more than a story about overcoming adversity. It is the foundation for a larger mission—challenging assumptions, creating access and helping people see ability before limitation.
Through Dream Loud and Disability Dream & Do (D3Day), Dave continues using baseball, leadership and lived experience to inspire audiences and create inclusive opportunities.
Bring Dave Clark’s story to your audience.
Dave connects baseball history, resilience and leadership in a message audiences remember long after the final out.