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