John Clayton has died, and a part of sports died with him

Iconic NFL reporter John Clayton has died. With his passing, we have lost so much more than a great reporter. We’ve lost more than a great man. We’ve lost humor, kindness, and so much more.

He was lovingly referred to as The Professor. How many reporters have ever been referred to lovingly in any way? Just one that I know of. And now, John Clayton is gone. I feel that we’ve lost far more than one of the best analysts, best writers, and best reporters that ever covered sports.

We’ve lost his humor, empathy, and humanity as well. Anyone who follows the Seahawks knows exactly what I’m talking about. When I wanted to get the facts to our readers, I’d most often link to an article by Clayton. As Lee Vowell wrote years ago, John Clayton was a treasure.

I didn’t know the man personally. I had never spoken with him, unlike many 12s who were able to speak with him on his weekly show on 710 AM. Yet I feel I knew him intimately, just as anyone who ever listened to one of his exceptional reports or read any of his letter-perfect articles knew him. He had an uncanny ability to connect to his audience as an Everyman. This was in spite of the fact that whatever the topic, he was invariably the most well-informed person in the room.

John Clayton made you the smartest person in the room

He knew it all through careful research and deep thought. Yet he was still able to let us all in on it as if we were just sitting across the table from him, just talking sports with an old friend. Those deep insights were shared with warmth and kindness, even if the truths he shared were sometimes bitter.

When you listened or read John Clayton, suddenly you were the smartest person in the room. You knew not just the what and the how but the why, because your friend John gave you the heads-up and the lowdown.

I know a lot of people who write or host podcasts about sports. We do it because we love the game, the team, the players. I truly believe that while John Clayton clearly loved sports as much as anyone (and probably more), even more than that, he loved the fans. He loved connecting with people. Clayton had an incredible gift that went far beyond his talents as a writer and analyst. He was a brilliant communicator – and incidentally, one incredibly funny man:

As I said, I know a lot of people that write about sports, and a lot that talk about sports. Some of us make a little money at it, but the only reason we really do it is that we love it.  We love reaching out to other fans, we love connecting and sharing our thoughts with you. No one ever did that better than the Professor. Everyone I know that writes and talks about sports, that want to be the best, wanted to be John Clayton. RIP, legend.