Remembering John Clayton
The Professor who defined NFL reporting and the start to my interest in journalism
John Clayton passed away on Friday 18 March 2022 from a brief illness. His death was equally sudden and shocking. The coverage Clayton gave on the NFL for 36 years made his writing and voice a staple of the NFL. Clayton is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, loved amongst every team fanbase, and has a ‘reporting tree’ that exceeds even former San Francisco 49ers’ Head Coach Bill Walsh’s ‘coaching tree’. John Clayton defined proper NFL reporting early in his career, and continued to define it to his last day. His life was a gift to millions of people. Most importantly, however, his life was a gift to his wife.
There has been an overwhelming outpouring of support and love for John Clayton, with each person remembering ‘The Professor’ in their own way. I strongly encourage you to listen to the three hour radio special Seattle Sports 710AM’s Bob Stelton hosted less than 24 hours after his passing on Saturday morning. Mike Sando, personal friend of Clayton’s and Athletic reporter, wrote a touching article on Clayton, including the idiosyncrasies that made Clayton who he was. Jim Moore, another former colleague of Clayton’s at 710AM, wrote another concise and personal story of Clayton in the Tacoma News Tribune. These are only three, and the article you about to read, four; there are many more and well-worth reading.
So that is what this article will be. I, unfortunately, never met Clayton face-to-face. But I have spent thousands of hours listening to him on the radio. And like countless others in the journalism industry, Clayton’s voice was one of the key reasons I ventured down that road.
While Clayton is a household name for many NFL and sports fans, he has a particularly special place in the heart of Seattle’s fans. Clayton hosted a radio show on Saturday morning from 9am-noon for nearly two decades. His show featured no special name — John Clayton Weekends — sound effects, gimmicks, or big names; other than Clayton, of course, and his regular callers. The show epitomised the best of radio in the host connecting directly to people. I am not sure if it can be easily repeated in today’s media environment, inundated with podcasts, gimmicks, and overly strong personalities.
In contrast, Clayton’s personality was not meek — he held strong opinions, supported by his multiple databases, years of coverage, and daily conversations with league personnel. He, however, had a passion for conversations that turned the show into him asking callers questions and being generally interested in their comments, regardless of the levity. He understood the power of conversation and connection.
I heard Clayton for the first time around age ten, at a time where I cared little for sports, and even less for the NFL. I had never watched a football game, and had no plans or awareness of what the game was. That is until I heard Clayton. I recall nothing of what he was talking about, but it was the way he talked about the NFL in a scientific, passionate, matter of fact way. The tone and tempo of Clayton’s voice dripped with methodology, confidence, and databases. There was a reason his nickname was The Professor.
The day-to-day coverage John Clayton performed established reporters’ methodologies in covering the NFL. The injury report, beat reporting, obtaining sources, building databases of all contracts, reporting on the salary cap and understanding the financial side of the NFL - Clayton established all of these common practices. His contributions to the NFL landscape should not be taken for granted. And many contemporary reporters ought to take a lesson from his professionalism.
A respect and enthusiasm for fans became a core part of his commitment to professionalism. Clayton adored his Saturday Show and engaging with fans. He also perfected the interview, and his daily show on Seattle Sports 710AM featured interviews with players and coaches other national hosts could never land; because Clayton respected the profession in a manner others did not.
Shortly after I started listening to Clayton and all the usual cast of characters — Raider Jim, J.B. in Renton, Commando Dave, Irish Mickey, and others who were better and more honest analysts than most national sports pundits — I went and bought a video game: NFL Head Coach (2006). The game is now old, outdated, and antithetical to any sports games now. (Which ultimately means I still love it.) But it allowed third-grade me to mess with databases and the salary cap.1 I fell in love with the NFL not because of the action, but the action in the numbers.
My favourite parts of the NFL season remains the salary cap, NFL Draft, and free-agency; the NFL season just lays the drama for what will happen during the real season. Over a period of time, listening to Clayton espouse the wonders of the salary cap and constructing a roster, I grew up and fell in love with the medium of radio and the numbers. Although I chiefly write about politics now, and live a country away from the NFL, I am not sure if I would have ventured down the path of journalism, including writing for Texas State University’s Radio Station KTSW, and now to Taiwan and politics, without listening to Clayton every Saturday morning and soaking up not only his love for the game, but the professionalism and passion he lived with.
Clayton, The Professor, was a Seattle institution. Not being able to listen to his show - a bit of a way connecting to home and my own past - will be strange. But time moves on, and the best way to honour his legacy will be to remember and internalise the professionalism and passion he had for his career, and more importantly his wife.
Thanks Mr. Clayton.
I am very bad at video games. Except this one. As my ultimate achievement in NFL Head Coach, I took the Cleveland Browns to four straight Super Bowl victories, using a Cover-2 defensive scheme and Stefan LeFors as the quarterback. Probably no one reading this will know who LeFors was, which is quite telling how much time I put into this game.