Aubrey Bruce: Remembering John Clayton — A star is gone

JOHN CLAYTON

by Aubrey Bruce, For New Pittsburgh Courier

Two of the definitions of the word star are: 1. A fixed luminous point in the night sky which is a large, remote incandescent body like the sun. 2. An outstandingly good or successful person or thing in a group.

When I look back on the life and career of Braddock-born and ESPN star sportscaster and sportswriter John Clayton, the two aforementioned definitions of the word “star” instantly come to mind.

John Clayton, the veteran NFL reporter and sportscaster, was known by many in the sports world as “The Professor.” He mostly gained notoriety providing NFL game reviews and analysis for ESPN. He passed away on March 19 in Bellevue, Wash. He was 67.

His cerebral and even-handed coverage of the NFL evolved from the pages of the Pittsburgh Press, where he covered the Steelers in the 1970s to the bright lights of ESPN where he attained an almost-mythical status as a sports analyst and guru. He was always an honest reporter even if it did not square with his hometown team, the Pittsburgh Steelers. At the tender age of 17 he became employed by the Press covering the Steelers before they became the household name that they are now.

In 1978, he wrote a piece revealing the fact that the Steelers were practicing with pads during minicamp, violating NFL rules. He labeled the incident “Shouldergate.” The team was penalized a third-round draft pick because of the violation. Mr. Clayton left the Press in 1986 for The News Tribune in Tacoma, Wash., where he met his future wife, Pat, a sports reporter who covered bowling.

I now choose to switch gears because this piece is not meant to be an obituary and crying towel for John Clayton. What you will read in this column will mostly depict a celebration of the life of a man that proved you don’t have to be a player to love and decipher professional football or any other sport.

During media week prior to the 2006 Steelers/Seahawks Super Bowl XL matchup at Ford Field, Steelers linebacker Joey Porter was quoted calling Seattle Seahawks tight end Jerramy Stevens, “soft.”

During that “presser” I ran into John Clayton. I didn’t know him but I had seen him numerous times covering the NFL on multiple levels and platforms. I said hello and I was struck in an amazing way when he looked at my credential then looked me straight in the eye and said: “Aubrey Bruce, the New Pittsburgh Courier. How are things at the paper?” I responded: “Things are pretty good, thank you.” He responded: “I would say so, we’re here.”

I was flabbergasted. During my career, I have interviewed many sports luminaries; however, I have never in my entire life before or since met a man or woman with such fame possess as much humility and grace as John Clayton. After the press conference concluded, we both headed for the same destination; the media buffet. After we settled in to eat, he began talking about Frank Bolden, Wendell Smith and Hazel Garland. Then he asked me a question that embarrassed and stumped me. He asked me with a twinkle in his eye; “Do you know what Steelers broadcaster wrote for the Courier? You probably know the answer, right?” “John, I have to admit that I don’t,” I replied. He smiled and said, “Myron Cope.”

I never had the pleasure of meeting Wendell Smith. However, I told him that I had met Ms. Garland and I also had the pleasure of working with Frank Bolden on the HBO documentary; “The Journey of the African American Athlete.” Mr. Bolden and I, along with Ulish Carter (former Courier sports writer and managing editor), worked to bring the premiere of the film to Pittsburgh. The film premiered in Pittsburgh at the old Regent Theatre (now the Kelly Strayhorn Theater) in February 1996. That event also honored Mr. Bolden as well and recognized and honored the late Steelers NFL Hall-of-Fame contributor Bill Nunn Jr. Unbeknownst to me until the day that I formally met him, John Clayton had also attended the event.

John Clayton never had the physicality or the mentality to pursue a career as a football player. He realized it early on. In 2013 he said the following to USA Today: “Of course you can see my body—you can see I didn’t have the ability to compete on the football field. It just wasn’t there. But I loved the game so much.”

In 2015, I interviewed him for a piece that I wrote titled: “Sleepless in Seattle.” As part of the interview he talked about how he met a boxing great that only wanted a handshake. Clayton said: “It was great: It was actually down in Atlanta at the airport Marriott. I was walking into the restaurant and one of the representatives said, ‘Hey, Evander wants to say hello to you.’ I was like, ‘Wow! How about that, talk about the real deal. You’re walking through an airport and the next thing you know, here’s Evander Holyfield wanting to come over and shake your hand. It was a very humbling moment.”

The “Sleepless in Seattle” piece profiled his sometimes 10-and-12-hour work days, but a major part of the article also focused on the many hours during the night he spent helping to care for the love of his life, Pat, who was stricken with multiple sclerosis.

If the character portrayed by Dustin Hoffman in the movie, “Rain Man,” was based on a person that possessed a talent for retaining MLB stats, then “Professor” John Clayton should be named, “Monsoon Man” for his gift of remembering NFL stats.

With his passing, the star of John Clayton may have slightly dimmed, but as long as we cover professional football, it will never be totally extinguished.

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