Even as a freshman, Boozer said he recognized that Clemons had a gift for music and an unwavering commitment to mastering the horn. Boozer would often go to Clemons’s local gigs. “Even though I met him as a football player, he took his music more seriously than football,” Boozer said.  Even during the summer, when the team practiced twice daily, Clemons put in an additional session with the sax.  “That horn was always an integral part of his day; he didn’t put the head down to bed without tampering with that horn,” Boozer said. “He was serious about his music.”  Clemons was not a prankster, but Boozer said he liked adventure and a good time. Once, at Clemons’s suggestion, Boozer and another teammate, an offensive lineman named Bob Taylor, jumped into Clemons’s beat-up Chevy and joined him on the five-hour drive to New York from Princess Anne to attend the World’s Fair.  Boozer says he remembers the trip as if it were yesterday. They had enough money among them for tolls and gas “and maybe two dollars extra.”  Clemons assured them that everything was cool because he had relatives in Queens who would provide food and shelter.  “We get there, and his aunt said, ‘Where’d you get these big old boys from?’ ” Boozer said. He still laughs when he recalls the misadventure. “She said they didn’t have enough food to feed us, let alone a place to sleep. We slept in Clarence’s car for the weekend.  “Clarence slept in the house; Bob and I ate bologna and saltine crackers.”  And after all of that, they never got in to see the World’s Fair.  “We were looking for some place to sneak in, but never could,” Boozer said. “Hey, we were young. That’s what you do when you’re young.”  Clemons eventually left Maryland State to pursue his music career. The college, now called Maryland Eastern Shore, presented him with an honorary doctorate last year. Clemons was scheduled for a tryout with the Cleveland Browns in 1968 but sustained injuries in a car accident the day before.  Boozer, of course, had a stellar professional career.  Boozer said the last time he saw Clemons face to face was about 1971 at a restaurant on Wall Street. Clemons spoke excitedly about being on the verge of a major breakthrough. Boozer says he also remembers that conversation as if it were yesterday.  “I asked him what he was doing, and he told me that he had met a blue-eyed soul brother who was going to make him a lot of money,” Boozer said. “I asked him what he meant, and he said that he had met a young fella who could really sing, who stirs the crowd, gets them all involved. He said write this down and don’t forget it: Bruce Springsteen.”  Clemons joined Springsteen a year later, and they forged a deep-rooted relationship that lasted until the Big Man’s death.  Boozer followed his former teammate’s incredible music career, which included legendary performances with Springsteen and hit records.  Boozer was at an alumni golf fund-raiser at Maryland Eastern Shore when he learned that Clemons had had a stroke. By the time Boozer returned to his Long Island home, Clemons was dead.  Asked how he took the news, Boozer, who celebrated his 68th birthday July 4, was philosophic.  “Naturally, it saddens you a little, but I’ve gotten to the point where death doesn’t sadden me too much because I know that we’re not here forever,” Boozer said. “We’re only here for a span of time, and no matter how you go, that was your time span. You accept it and move on.”  The Big Man is gone, but he leaves a rich and timeless legacy. How many musicians can say they opened holes for Emerson Boozer? How many offensive lineman can say they blazed a trail with Bruce Springsteen?  Either way you play it, that’s a life well lived.  A version of this article appears in print on July 10, 2011, on Page SP9 of the New York edition with the headline: Before Bruce, Clemons Was a Big Man On Campus. Order Reprints| Today's Paper|Subscribe
Clarence Clemons, who died last month at age 69, had a football career of note before his days playing saxophone in Bruce Springsteen’s band.