Clair Strickland became the head football coach at Glencoe in 1926 where he spent the next eight seasons. His first team finished the season with a perfect 8-0 record.

His next head football coaching job came at Piedmont in 1934. The 1935 Bulldogs went 8-0 and finished 25-5-1 during his tenure at the school.

Strickland took over the football program at Oneonta in 1928 for the next nine seasons. The Redskins went 56-13-5 with three undefeated seasons during his time at the school. The 1940 (9-0), 1941 (9-0) and 1943 (8-0-1) teams finished the season without a blemish on their record.

Following the 1946 seasons, Coach Strickland would retire from the football field with an overall record of 106-39-10 in ninetwwn seasons as a head football coach.