Besides Jack Clark, there may not be another person who can find so many faults in a triple-digit win. But then again, most people rarely witness a rugby match where one team wins by 100 or more points.

Clark, the 26-year Bears rugby coach is a self-proclaimed perfectionist–to the nth degree–and that sure doesn't hurt his annual quest for a national title.

He's the master of never settling, continually pushing his squads to play flawlessly week in and week out.

But with 20 championship crowns during Clark's tenure, that can't be his only trick. Plenty of coaches want the same for their teams, but how many have been as successful?

"It's hard to win championships, repeat championships or even put yourself in a position to compete for a championship," Cal volleyball coach Rich Feller says. "What he's done is just about unparalleled in college sports."

His colleagues commend his achievements, but each praises a different area of excellence and it becomes clear that there isn't a single reason for Clark's success-probably because he's a man who, at first, seems comprised of incongruities.

Clark looks like he was built for the starting defensive line of a football team, but his philosophical nature likens more to a college classroom than a stadium. It's likely that his national success will never be duplicated, but he hardly spends any time boasting or even thinking about his career win-loss record: 470-68-5.

"I can't tell you our record at any one point in time, but I know how we're playing in great detail," Clark says. "There will be a time to reflect upon seasons past, but not for a while, I hope."

Clark has found the golden ticket to rugby success, and it seems like he should be fending off any attempt to decipher the code. But instead, he's spreading his gospel to anyone who will hear it.

In the fall of 2007, Feller brought in Clark to talk to his team in preparation for the postseason.

There's really no one more qualified to talk about that than the man who's perfected April Drive, the rugby team's demanding three-week preparation for the playoffs.

"I gained respect for the way he presents himself and talks about his team's culture," Feller says. "He graciously spent an hour talking about teamwork and what it means to be a leader, and that was the (volleyball) team that went to the final four that year."

And sometimes, the coaches don't even need to ask for a Clark consultation.

When women's basketball coach Joanne Boyle came to Cal in 2005, Clark paused his rugby-centric daily schedule and shared his veteran advice.

"He's one of the people that really reached out to me to offer guidance," says Boyle, who, last season, led her team to its best NCAA Tournament finish in program history. "Jack sets the highest standards. As coaches, I think we all look to him because he's at the pinnacle of success, and he doesn't rest on his laurels."

Clark doesn't try to keep secrets about his success. Instead, he advises coaches from other rugby squads throughout the country because there can't be any secrets when working to grow the sport in the States.

"It's good to be in a community of coaches where we share," Clark says. "I try to use my experience to find the touchstones that guide teams on a daily basis."

He discloses his list of values he feels are necessary for any team: constant improvement, leadership and a merit-based system. According to Clark, he's an expert in teamwork-something he considers a lost art-and a key source of the program's sustained success.

"Knowing how teams operate and accomplish things is a really wonderful skill," says Clark. "Whether you're talking about successful families or business. It's how the great works get done and how diseases get cured. It's how groups of people pull together with common goals, and I think we have experiences in that."

It's clear that Clark isn't keeping his methods a secret, so it must be more than just his methods that have ensured his success over the years.

It's also a product of the program he inherited.

While Clark has brought with him the perfectionist attitude that keeps the team constantly improving, he also owes much to the Cal legacy that preceded him.

The one thing other teams can't duplicate is Cal's 127-year-old program of pride and tradition-maybe the greatest motivating factor for the Bears.

With 24 of the 30 championship titles, the Bears' national success is unmatched by any other program in the country.

Clark has spent the last quarter century continuing the legacy, but the truth is, over that span, the line between the man and the program has blurred.

"Some people say, 'Well he has an edge because Cal has always had great rugby,' but Cal has great rugby because Jack Clark has been there for twenty-some-odd years," Feller says.

To most, Clark and the program are one and the same.

"When you think of Cal rugby, you think of Jack Clark," says Teti. "Jack Clark is Cal rugby. He's larger than life."

Maybe the reason his system can't be duplicated is because it's so intertwined with the program.

Clark is just doing what he expects of his players-living up to the Cal rugby standard-and the storied program is what it is today because of Clark's service.

Turns out, that combination of coach and legacy is one heck of a one-two punch.

Tags: CAL RUGBY, JACK CLARK