Zoomer Magazine: Playing it Forward

Michael "Pinball" and Diane Clemons are building a legacy for their family and for young people in the community who need a "hand up"

By Suzane Boyd Photography Chris Nicholls

Published March 31st, 2026

Halfway through our cover shoot, Michael "Pinball" Clemons - who, with his wife, Diane, had been laughing, dancing and generally being a good and patient sport - remarked out of the blue: "Every day above ground shows potential." Well amen to that, as everyone within earshot stood a little taller. It's just the type of motivational maxim that the legendary Toronto Argonauts running back turned coach turned current general manager often says, and lives by, especially when it comes to others.

"I believe my greatest strength is that I understand how important I'm not," he says.

"Our kids today, they need access, plain and simple. They need to be able to have an education, a better chance at life," says Diane. "So going to Halifax, just letting the students see what others before them had gone through, and the shoulders that they now stand on, the bridge that they're able to walk across, is because of those who went before us."

"He's an Argo for life: an Argo legend now running the place," says Marci len, the former Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth in Justin Trudeau's cabinet and longtime family friend. "But when you talk to him about his accomplishments on the field, he's just so humble. He's the kind of man where it's never about him." In fact, this photo-shoot charm offensive is not to spotlight his iconic career (Pinball's jersey - No. 31 - was retired and he has eight Grey Cup rings he won as a player, coach and executive) or the couple's sartorial brilliance - though they always look fabulous and styled themselves for their close-up. It's in service of their philanthropy in support of the Pinball Foundation, created by the couple 20 years ago. As the photographer snaps away, we reminisce about a day I spent with them at the historic immigration site Pier 21 in Halifax celebrating the Foundation's milestone anniversary with an event called the Legacy Lift-Off. And Clemons remembers how their philanthropic journey began.

"It started very innocently," says Pinball. "I was a spokesperson for several different foundations. I would speak to between 30 and 50 schools a year. I was always outside of the house. I was really at risk of becoming a bad dad, right? But my number one responsibility is to care for my family. And my wife reminded me that if we started the Foundation, we could consolidate things." Adds Diane, whose parents picked cotton so she could have a future and whose grandmother never learned to write or read but could see possibility: "Both of us come from lower-income homes. When I graduated from high school, I knew I had to get a job because my parents couldn't afford to send me to school. So, knowing that there's something we could do to help other young people have it just a little bit easier, it was a no-brainer for me."

Clockwise from left: Pinball celebrates the Argos Eastern Final win in Toronto, 1997; tries out skating with hockey great Bobby Orr, 1991; high-fives the Toronto Raptors mascot, 2018; celebrates with fans at the Argos 2024 Grey Cup party, shows off his athleticism at practice, 1993; and reps his beloved team, 1991. | Peter Power/Toronto Star via Getty Images; Dick Loek/Toronto Star via Getty Images; Colin McConnell/Toronto Star via Getty Images; Colin McConnell/Toronto Star via Getty Images; Toronto Star/Rick Madonik via Getty Images; Richard Lautens/Toronto Star via Getty Images

At first, the Foundation worked in developing countries, building more than 200 classrooms, before eventually deciding to be less global and more local, focussing on Toronto. "We pay for books, tuition, but we also mentor the students along the way," Pinball explains. "And then career development, we help them write resumés, get opportunities to intern and then, ultimately, our goal is to get each of them a job. About 200 young people a year go into a job with the program. We found that we were able to make a real impact in the community. It is one of the most wonderful blessings on the planet." And, as the couple grooves on set to Kirk Franklin's gospel standard I Smile - "My morning song," says Diane - they exude the warmth of twin suns.

DIANE IS A CHARISMATIC PRESENCE in her own right, with a mellifluous speaking style that brings to mind jazz. and church - which tracks, as she is a gifted singer who shares a deep Christian faith with her husband of 34 years.

"She is electric when she speaks. And people will leave a room changed because she speaks from the heart," says len. "She speaks from her journey. That's what gives her so much credibility" Hailing from Florida, the couple came to Toronto in 1989, the year Pinball was signed by the Argos. He brought some welcome razzmatazz to the dour Canadian Football League, inspiring the moniker that stuck. "Coach [Bob] O'Billovich had this goal line scrimmage. You just have one yard to go to score. I got the ball and I got hit right away but I didn't fall down. I ran around and scored. So this was not good, because this was his first defence and not an offensive drill." An angry O'Billovich ran the play again, with the same result. "He said, 'Little guy, get out of my drill, then made a statement that we have this new guy who bounces around like a pinball. I don't think he even knew my name."

But soon enough everyone did - a star was born. And after 25 years and three daughters born in their adopted country, the couple decided to make it official, becoming citizens in 2015, or "Canadian by choice," as Pinball put it at the time. Yet his American exuberance remains, and together with all of the above, it has garnered a popularity so universal that he is routinely encouraged to run for mayor. "I just got that question again the other day; I just got challenged with it …... I asked Diane about it last night," he says when I broach the subject. "I told him, at one point I see him being in politics, period," she says. "I think it gives him a greater voice. But it's his choice. He knows I'm going to support him whichever way he goes."

 From left: Pinball, the announcer and Diane with Selen Alpay, Legacy Lift-Off's presenting sponsor and Pinball Foundation board chair, at Toronto Pearson

Airport; singer Jully Black; rapper Kardinal Offishall; and the author arriving at Halifax Stanfield Airport; a branded sweet treat. | The Pinball Foundation

ON THE FIRST DAY OF BLACK HISTORY MONTH, Pinball was in Hizzoner mode, standing at a Toronto Pearson Airport departure gate shaking hands with every person boarding the Air Canada jet the Pinball Foundation had chartered for the Legacy Lift-Off. On our way to Halifax, the details were meaningful - the flight has an all-Black crew and in business class sit the highest-achieving students that the foundation supports. The atmosphere is festive but charged with anticipation. The history of Pier 21, the traditional gateway to Canada for immigrants and refugees, is profound, but Halifax, as the geographical genesis of the Black experience in Canada, is fraught. We knew that the point of the day was to have an immersive experience into the story of Africville - the thriving Black community founded in the mid-19th century but later destroyed by racist urban renewal policies of the City of Halifax in the 1960s. We knew it would be more than a day trip, but a journey.

Among the community leaders and stakeholders on the plane is Pinball Foundation board chair Selen Alpay, the day's presenting sponsor, as is the Juno Award-winning singer Jully Black, as well as rap pioneer Kardinal Offishall, who documented the day with evocative black and white photographs that he posted to his Instagram account with commentary. Also aboard - Canadian Screen Award-winning actor Amanda Brugel, accompanied by her teenage son.

"Giving back is the greatest gift in the world," says the unflaggingly positive Pinball.

We arrive in Halifax to a gospel singer and land acknowledgement at the airport, then pile into tour buses that drive us through the city to Pier 21. Once there, after having been serenaded by local gospel group the Sanctified Brothers, we have lunch in a majestic high-ceilinged hall overlooking the Atlantic Ocean with light streaming in from a slate-grey sky. On stage, Jaunita Peters, the executive director of the Africville Museum of Nova Scotia, in conversation with len, says: "I am one of the luckiest people because my artifacts are still here." Peters is referring to the Elders of Africville who have joined the group and are seated at tables around the room. They were children when their homes were bulldozed and family land seized, and one of them, Bernice Arsenault, is here. She is one of seven girls from a Bible study class who appeared in a photograph taken outside Africville's Seaview African United Baptist Church, which was later used for a 2014 commemorative Canada Post stamp. At my table, the students who had been chatting excitedly about their career prospects, are riveted as Peters lays out the conditions that dogged Africville from its establishment in the 1800s and how it managed to thrive and flourish as a culture and community despite it all. "It was a sustainable community. I need people talking about the good stuff. The most important is the legacy."

 Kardinal Offishall documented the day with photographs. Top row, left to right: Scene from the bus as it arrives at Pier 21; Pinball presents his Foundation's donation to Juanita Peters, executive director of the Africville Museum (standing to his left), who is joined on stage by community Elders and dignitaries. Bottom row, left to right: Moments of joy during the day with Diane; Pinball; music manager KB; and Jully Black, who shared her love for the Clemonses. "Diane and Michael are like mentors to me. The way they lead with integrity, purpose and service is something I deeply respect. Their foundation is not just about giving back. It is about building people up, creating opportunity and leaving a real mark on the world." | Kardinal Offishall

Looking back on the conversation, len adds, "It was great to hear from them [the Elders] because their recollection is different from some of the history we hear. And that's why it's important to pass those stories along. And for our young people to have those stories ... This is their history." len will be joining the Pinball Foundation board this spring. "I bring to this work a love of service but also a love of young people and, as the former minister of youth, i's perfect for me. It's an ability to serve communities. It's an ability to share my story, it's an ability to lift young people up and help them accomplish what they need to accomplish." Amanda Brugel saw the event through a generational lens, too. "Being able to experience the Legacy Lift-Off trip with my son was a deeply meaningful journey — a living lesson in resilience and history that felt far more powerful than anything a classroom could hold."

Indeed, the conversation unleashed a wave of feeling that was released in song. The Clemonses made some remarks culminating with Diane blessing the room with a stellar rendition of Amazing Grace. Then, the Elders came up, as did Jully Black, bringing her voice to the proceedings and taking us to church. "I did not plan to get up on stage," she responded when I asked her what inspired her. "That moment came from feeling. When something moves me, I respond. My intention was simple - to honour the space, the people and the history with truth and love. What I felt was deep gratitude, pride and a strong connection to something bigger than myself. It was one of those moments where you are not performing, you are serving."

ANOTHER HIGH POINT OF THE DAY was a donation of $250,000 by the Pinball Foundation to The Africville Museum Heritage Trust. In a statement, the foundation broke down how the funds will be deployed: "$200,000 will pay for five students of Africville descent to attend a post-secondary school of their choosing in Canada, covering their full tuition and books for four years ($10,000 per year). And $50,000 will help them build their new sailing school. This is just the first donation of many." And Pinball is already focused on the many. "I'm appreciative of being able to do that and share that, but for me, the impetus is we did this — and it was so great - but what do we do now?" he asks, ruminating on the amount. "We pay tuition ... we help a few people get through their first year …... and that's not enough. There's more to be done."

To that end, a couple weeks after the event, I check in with Selen Alpay via Google Meet. He's in his office at the Canadian Tire he owns in Prince George, B.C. and his walls are covered in memorabilia, the largest and most prominently placed is a framed Pinball jersey - signed no doubt. On his desk is a picture of him with the Clemonses in Kenya where they were building schools. He keeps it there, he says, "to remind me of them, and to remind me of who I am and what we've been able to do." Alpay describes his first meeting with Pinball, at a University of Northern British Columbia athletics department legacy fundraiser, as an "instantaneous bromance." They spoke for four hours. "In the first half hour, he asked me to go to Kenya with them. About an hour later, he said, 'Listen, I'm having some, uh, gyrations on my board. Would you like to join?' And, just like that, I said, 'Yeah, sign me up."

This was 2015, and as we speak now his passion for the work is palpable for tasks small or epic. "Jen [Jennifer Branco, CEO of the Pinball Foundation), Diane and I were doing staff reviews [of the organization's employees]. So I sat in front of this laptop for seven hours doing staff reviews. But that's not painful - to me it's a joy." Alpay gave a heartfelt address at Pier 21, quoting from the lyrics of What You Give by one of his favourite bands, Tesla: It's not what you got / i's what you give / It ain't the life you choose / it's the life you live. "Those words always resonate with me," he says. While highlighting the Foundation's plans to expand its work to Winnipeg, Edmonton and, hopefully, Halifax, he tells me about a young person who came through the shelter that the Foundation supported and who is now on his way to becoming a nurse.

 The Africville Heritage Trust Museum in Halifax and the Canada Post stamp that commemorates the community. | The Canadian Press/Andrew Vaughan (museum); Peregrine/ Alamy (stamp)

Alpay is still buoyed by the Legacy Lift-Off day, a goal the Foundation achieved after years of planning: "People across Canada know who Pinball Clemons is - they don't know what the Pinball Foundation does. And we wanted to get great exposure for the Foundation," he says. "So, finally this past year. I said to Jen, 'I am tired of talking about this. I will charter the plane. And it was one of the best days of my life." Diane looks back at that entire experience as "mind-blowing." The same could be said of the couple's trajectory. An unlikely African-American football hero from a steamy Southern clime comes to the cold white North and - plot twist - stays. And then goes on with his partner in love and life to become, as the saying goes, their ancestors' wildest dream. And the lesson from that February day remembering Africville will remain. "It's not only loss but legacy. The day was layered with emotion, grief intertwined with joy, reflection paired with hope," says Diane. "A powerful reminder that even in the face of adversity there is an underlying spirit that rises and demands a better tomorrow. And that's what my husband is saying: What are you going to do now?" — With files by Hazel Picco

ON THE COVER:

Michael "Pinball" and Diane Clemons photographed at Toronto's Zoomer Hall in March 2026 by Chris Nicholls.

Creative Director: Tanya Watt

Hair, Makeup & Grooming: Tana D'Amico

Styling Assistant: Evan Grundmann