Detroit Lions defensive assistant coach Don Clemons is reportedly ready to retire after 27 years with the franchise in various roles on the sidelines. This news comes a couple of weeks after another defensive coach, Brandon Fisher left the staff to join his father Jeff Fisher for his new gig with the St. Louis Rams.
According to Tim Twentyman, Clemons, 58 is ready to let the next generation of coaches get to work for the Lions.
"Well, Dick Modzelewski, who I worked with when I first started here, he had played and coached for a long time and he retired the third or fourth year I was here and I asked him, ‘Dick, what are you retiring for?' and he said, ‘You just know, and when it comes you just look around at the people and know its time to let someone else do it.'"
After 35 years coaching, Clemons said he knew it was that time.
Clemons has been through the good, the bad and the ugly in his long tenure with the Lions. As Pride of Detroit points out this could apply to all of the coaches he worked under during his 27 years, as well.
Clemons, who is 58 years old, was with the Lions for an astounding 27 years. This means he was with the Lions while they had nine (!) different head coaches. He worked under Darryl Rodgers, Wayne Fontes, Bobby Ross, Gary Moeller, Marty Mornhinweg, Steve Mariucci, Dick Jauron, Rod Marinelli and Jim Schwartz from 1985-2011.
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