Get to know Taggart Clark

Growing up in Stouffville, Ontario, Taggart Clark cheered for all the usual Toronto sports teams, the Raptors, the Jays, the Argonauts, the Maple Leafs. Perhaps most of all, Clark’s favourite team was the Toronto Rock. Of course, it would be a natural choice for the young lacrosse player, as his father Glenn Clark played seven seasons for Toronto, winning five NLL championships with the team. Today, Glenn serves as the head coach of the Albany FireWolves.

Growing up with a three-time NLL All-Star father, Clark was afforded a wealth of knowledge and coaching to help shape his game. “You can’t ask for better coaching,” says Clark. “He had a huge influence on me. A pro coach, a Team Canada coach, having someone like that in your house when you’re a child is definitely an advantage that I’ve utilized over the years.”

Clark’s father is a two-time head coach for Team Canada at the World Indoor Lacrosse Championships. Once in 2019 and most recently this past September. Both years saw Glenn coach his team to a championship win. Despite his impressive resume, Glenn keeps things low-key.

“The first time I found out, five or six years ago, I remember I just saw it on Twitter,” laughs Clark as he recalls the first time his father was named head coach of Team Canada. “I was like, ‘Wow. This is quite the accomplishment that he hasn’t broadcasted yet.’”

Glenn’s down-to-earth character is something that he has clearly instilled on his son. In the summer, Clark travels to Nanaimo, British Columbia, where he and Devlin Shanahan do homeless outreach work. “We work out of the health center and get snack bags, sleeping bags, tents, chairs, clothes, and load it all up into a van. Then we drive around Nanaimo handing stuff out, trying to help these people.”

The outreach program is something Clark could see himself doing as a career sometime. He also completed both a finance degree and a master’s degree in data analytics, which opens another avenue for him to pursue. For now, Clark is all-in on lacrosse and making an impact with the Black Bears.

Tickets to the inaugural home opener to see Clark and the Black Bears take on the Toronto Rock on November 29 can be found HERE — don’t miss out!