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John Clayton, Longtime ESPN Football Reporter Dubbed ‘The Professor,’ Dies at 67

By Elsie A. Dotson 3 months ago

John Clayton, the longtime ESPN football reporter nicknamed “The Professor” for his breadth of knowledge about the NFL, died Friday in Washington state after a brief undisclosed illness, his family told ESPN.

“His wife Pat and sister Amy were at his side and communicated earlier he passed peacefully after a brief illness,” his longtime ESPN colleague Chris Mortensen tweeted. “We loved John. We are mourning his loss.”

Clayton’s five-decade career began when he was still a senior at Duquesne University, hired by the Pittsburgh Press to cover the Steelers. But he rose to prominence in his 20-plus years at ESPN, where his bespectacled appearance and encyclopedic knowledge of football won him wide admiration.

After leaving ESPN in 2017, he spent the last five seasons spent as a sideline reporter for the Seattle Seahawks Radio Network and hosted the “John Clayton Weekend” show on Seattle Sports 710. Just 10

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R.I.P. John Clayton, ESPN NFL Reporter Who Starred as Metalhead in Greatest SportsCenter Commercial Dies at 67

By Elsie A. Dotson 3 months ago

The post R.I.P. John Clayton, ESPN NFL Reporter Who Starred as Metalhead in Greatest SportsCenter Commercial Dies at 67 appeared first on Consequence.

John Clayton, the longtime NFL reporter for ESPN, has died at age 67 after an undisclosed brief illness. While he was considered one of the best in the business among football fans, for many he will be remembered for his unforgettable starring in role in perhaps the greatest “This Is SportsCenter” commercial ever.

After starting as a sportswriter in the covering the Pittsburgh Steelers and Seattle Seahawks in the ’70s and ’80s, Clayton was hired by ESPN in 1995, where he remained with the network as one of its top NFL reporters until he was let go in 2017.

Clayton, who was nicknamed “The Professor,” had a charmingly nerdy appearance, which made his turn in the aforementioned “This Is SportsCenter” commercial both unexpected and

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John Clayton, beloved NFL insider at ESPN, dies at 67

By Elsie A. Dotson 3 months ago

John Clayton, the ESPN NFL insider who became a fan favorite in an eccentric commercial, died Friday. He was 67.

“John Clayton passed away today at a Seattle area hospital,” ESPN’s Chris Mortensen tweeted. “His wife Pat and sister Amy were at his side and communicated earlier he passed peacefully after a brief illness. We loved John. We are mourning his loss.”

Multiple ESPN personalities spoke Friday night about his death.

“John Clayton, a first-class NFL insider and our beloved longtime ESPN colleague, died today,” veteran investigative reporter Don Van Natta Jr. wrote. “He also starred in the greatest This Is SportsCenter commercial of all time. RIP John.”

John Clayton attends an NFL game.

John Clayton attends an NFL game.

John Clayton attends an NFL game. (Christian Petersen/)

Known as “The Professor,” Clayton was a longtime NFL reporter for ESPN, delivering scoops from across the league to viewers nationwide.

The reserved Clayton, always seen in

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Longtime ESPN NFL reporter John Clayton dies at 67

By Elsie A. Dotson 3 months ago
San Francisco 49ers running back Frank Gore is interviewed by John Clayton of ESPN after 24-14 victory over the Seattle Seahawks in NFL Network Thursday Night Football game at Qwest Field in Seattle, Wash. on December 14, 2006. (Photo by Kirby Lee/Getty Images)

John Clayton was an ESPN mainstay. (Photo by Kirby Lee/Getty Images)

John Clayton, a fixture on ESPN’s “SportsCenter” for years, has died, a collection of his colleagues confirmed on Friday. He was 67.

Throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s, it was hard to turn on SportsCenter or any of ESPN’s NFL shows without seeing Clayton and his familiar background pop up to discuss the biggest football story of the day. He started at the network in 1995 after a long career as a newspaper writer covering the Pittsburgh Steelers and Seattle Seahawks, and stayed there until he was let go in 2017.

Clayton was also a regular presence on radio in Seattle and around the country, hosting The John Clayton Show on Seattle Sports 710 AM until his death.

It didn’t take long for Clayton to establish his bona fides in the industry. While covering the Steelers as a

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