Canadian Sports Hall-of-Famer | Toronto
Argonauts Vice-Chairman
Few people exemplify the qualities of
personal excellence, teamwork, community
leadership, and overcoming the odds better
than CFL legend Michael “Pinball”
Clemons. With boundless energy, Pinball’s
talks centre on the potential for each of us
to achieve anything we set our minds to.
Unabashedly emotional and impactful, he
shows audiences how to put heart into
everything they do.
Pinball joined the National Football League
in 1987, and the Toronto Argonauts (and
the CFL) in 1989. He was nicknamed
“Pinball” because of his running style: his
diminutive size and extraordinary balance
allowed him to “bounce” between defensive
players, drawing comparisons to a pinball
machine. In 1990, he was honoured with
the CFL’s “most outstanding player” award,
after setting the single-season record for all purpose
yards. He played his last game as
an Argonaut in 2000, before becoming head
coach of the team. He was inducted into the
Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 2008
and in 2016, Pinball was inducted into the
Canadian Sports Hall of Fame.
In 2007, Pinball stepped down as head
coach to become the Chief Executive
Officer; in 2009, he was appointed to Vice-
Chair of the team. That same year, he
founded the Michael “Pinball” Clemons
Foundation, which is dedicated to helping
disadvantaged youth. He is also currently
working with Marc and Craig Kielburger,
founders of Free the Children, in an
initiative to build schools and clean water
systems in Africa.
Pinball is a member of The Order of Ontario
and a Queens Diamond Jubilee Medal
recipient.