Stampede Bonus: Richard Clebert, USF's Strongest Man

#76 NT Richard Clebert
2004-2007, 6'1", 312 lbs.

Career Stats: Clebert was supposed to redshirt in 2004, but injuries forced USF to play him as a true freshman. He finished up with 77 tackles, 17 TFL, and 5.5 sacks. He had at least 22 quarterback hurries (USF didn't track them in 2005), plus one forced fumble, one recovered fumble, a blocked kick, and a safety.

However, Clebert's most impressive stat was 543. Before his senior year in 2007, Richard bench pressed 543 pounds in the weight room. This isn't completely verified as the all-time USF record, but we did some Googling and we couldn't find a bigger number. (Todd Chandler did squat 700 pounds in 2014, but that's not quite the same.)

If you're looking around your house for items that weigh 543 pounds, you probably won't find any. Refrigerators these days only weigh about 250. Washing machines are around 200-300 pounds. Empty hot water heaters weigh 150. Upright pianos weigh around 400. You have to go up to an empty Dumpster (~500 pounds) or a vending machine (~600 pounds) to get in the neighborhood of how much weight Clebert benched.

Richard also holds the USF record for most reps bench pressing 225 pounds, having done it 43 times. To give you some perspective, only a handful of players have ever broken 40 reps at the NFL Scouting Combine. Clebert is likely the strongest player in USF history to date.

How He Came To USF: Richard played at Miami's Edison High School, along with Bulls teammates Jackie Chambers, Marc Dile, Chad Simpson, and Brouce Mompremier. He played both ways for the Red Raiders, but made the Florida Class 5A second team as a defensive tackle. Clebert joined USF's 2004 recruiting class over offers from LSU (think about that -- Jim Leavitt beat Nick Saban for a recruit), Nebraska (when that still really meant something), NC State, and Rutgers.

Recruiting Rankings: Clebert was given three stars by both Rivals and Scout, the only two major recruiting sites at the time.

His Best Game: Against C.Florida in 2007, Clebert had five tackles, two TFL, and a safety in USF's famous 64-12 win.

After College: Richard played for the UFL's New York Sentinels in 2009. After that he put his two-way skills to good use and became an established Arena Football player, playing both offensive and defensive line. He won back-to-back ArenaBowls with two different teams: Spokane in 2010 and Jacksonville in 2011. He tried out for the New Orleans Saints in 2008 and spent some time on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' roster in 2013, but has yet to suit up for an NFL game.