After job hunting in the cold of Wisconsin and Ottawa, Charles Clay has found an ideal sunny weather landing spot with the Los Angeles KISS of the Arena Football League.
After job hunting in the cold of Wisconsin and Ottawa, Charles Clay has found an ideal sunny weather landing spot with the Los Angeles KISS of the Arena Football League.
The former University of Hawaii safety, who graduated with an environmental studies degree of all things, signed with the KISS last week.
Last year, Clay, a 2009 Hilo graduate, had free agent stints with the NFL’s Green Bay Packers and Ottawa Redblacks of the Canadian Football League.
The 5-foot-10, 205-pound Clay hasn’t had good timing or fortune in his two prior stops.
He missed his UH graduation in the spring of 2014 because that was during the same time as Green Bay’s tryout camp. Clay signed with Ottawa in October, but got a little banged up and was released on April 30.
He hasn’t made an appearance for the KISS (2-9), who host the Philadelphia Soul (10-2) in a game that will be televised at 5 p.m. Saturday on ESPN2.
The KISS play their home games at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.
Clay hasn’t met owners and KISS band members Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, but he has a ready answer if asked for his favorite song.
“It’s got to be ‘Rock and Roll All Nite.’ I don’t know when I’ll play,” Clay said. “It could be Saturday. I’m still learning the scheme.
“It’s a great organization and they’ve treated me great.”
In the AFL, it’s eight players, with no blitzing, on a 50-yard field.
Under the collective bargaining agreement that runs through 2017, active rookies receive $820 per game this season. There are 18 regular season games, with seven left for the KISS.
An NFL rookie salary for 2015 is $435,000. The CFL’s minimum salary is $50,000 over 18 games, according to the league’s website.
Clay doesn’t have to worry about housing because he lives with his girlfriend, who’s from Los Angeles.
As for the AFL, Clay couldn’t be on a more marketable team. All of the KISS games are on ESPN or one of its affilaites or the CBS Sports Network.
The only problem is the KISS can’t seem to win, just like UH under coach Norm Chow. The KISS are in last place in the National Conference’s Western Division.
Last year in the first season under new owners Simmons and Stanley, the KISS finished 3-15, and the team’s internal turmoil was televised on the AMC channel.
AMC dropped the show “4th and Loud” for 2015 but the team’s website, lakissfootball.com, produces webisodes to keep devoted fans updated on Gene and Paul’s adventures of touchdowns and fumbles.
Hope shines bright
In Chow’s first season in 2012, the Warriors finished 3-9, then 1-11 in 2013 (with five losses by seven points or less) and 4-9 last year.
The 2015 schedule is a doozy with a pair of powerful bears waiting on the road.
UH opens at home against Colorado (2-10) of the Pac-12 on Sept. 3. Then it’s a road game at defending national champion Ohio State (14-1) on Sept. 12.
By the time the black-and-blue bruises heal, the Warriors hit the road again to face another Big Ten Goliath in Wisconsin (11-3) on Sept. 26.
No matter what uniform he wears, Clay will always bleed UH green. He’s optimistic that the Warriors will find a way out of the descending wilderness.
“I have confidence in the boys that they will rise to the task,” he said. “I’ve seen a couple practices, and the defense was flying around in the spring.
“I know they’ve got leaders on both sides of the ball. They’re going to be good if they stick together and stay at it as a team.”
At each football stop, Clay has been the underdog from the start. It’s the same thing again with the Los Angeles KISS.
“That’s been my journey through college and it really showed that hard work is rewarded,” said Clay, who walked on and earned a scholarship at UH. “I kept tucking away and was elected a team captain my senior year. That showed the respect for my work ethic.
“Right now, I just want to contribute to the team and earn a starting spot. I want to give it my all because the L.A. KISS gave me this opportunity. I know the rest will fall into place.”