Mark Gregory Clayton (born April 8, 1961) is an American former professional
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
player who was a
wide receiver with the
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team pla ...
for most of his career, entering the league in 1983 with the Dolphins and playing there until 1992. He finished out his career with the
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...
, playing a single season with them in 1993.
Early life
Clayton attended the
University of Louisville
The University of Louisville (UofL) is a public research university in Louisville, Kentucky. It is part of the Kentucky state university system. When founded in 1798, it was the first city-owned public university in the United States and one of ...
, where he played wide receiver from 1979 to 1982. His best season was as a senior, when he made 53 catches for 1,112 yards and six touchdowns.
Career
Clayton started his career in 1983 on the bench, appearing sporadically on offense but working as the team’s primary punt returner. For the season he had six catches for 114 yards and one touchdown, while returning 60 punts for 392 yards and a touchdown. His first highlight game came on October 9 against the
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. ...
in a 38-35 loss; he had his first touchdown come through the air: in the third quarter, he threw a pass to
Mark Duper
Mark "Super" Duper (born January 25, 1959) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL) from 1982 to 1992. He played collegiately at Northwestern State ...
that went 48 yards for a touchdown. In the following quarter, he would catch a 14-yard pass from
Dan Marino
Daniel Constantine Marino Jr. (born September 15, 1961) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 17 seasons with the Miami Dolphins. After a successful college career at Pittsburgh and be ...
for his first receiving touchdown.
He became a star in 1984. Playing in 15 games, he caught 73 passes for 1,389 yards for a league leading 18 touchdowns while garnering his first selection to the
Pro Bowl
The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players.
The format has changed thro ...
. He made his first playoff appearance that year as the Dolphins coasted to a 14-2 record. His performance in Week 16 against the
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisi ...
earned him AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors. He caught just four passes for 150 yards, but three were for touchdowns, including the game winner in the fourth quarter. His eighteen touchdowns were the most by a receiver in one season until it was surpassed in 1987 by
Jerry Rice
Jerry Lee Rice (born October 13, 1962) is an American former professional football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 20 seasons. Known primarily as a member of the San Francisco 49ers, winning three championshi ...
; Clayton's 1984 mark is still tied for the third highest total in NFL history. In the Divisional Round game against the
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 as ...
, he caught five passes for 75 yards for a touchdown in the 31-10 win. The following week, he caught four passes for 95 yards and a score as they beat the
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...
in the AFC Championship 45-28. In
Super Bowl XIX
Super Bowl XIX was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion 1984 Miami Dolphins season, Miami Dolphins and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion 1984 San Francisco 49ers season, San Francisco 49 ...
, facing the
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...
, he caught six passes for 92 yards, but the Dolphins failed to solve the stifling defense of the
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...
in the 38-16 loss. Although Clayton appeared in twelve postseason games for a career, he caught just one more touchdown pass after 1984 (doing so in the 1990 Divisional Round game against Kansas City).
The following year showed marked differences for Clayton. He caught 70 passes for 996 yards while scoring four times. His yards per game went from 92.6 the previous year to 62.3 (which was his lowest in a season until 1990). At any rate, he was selected to the Pro Bowl once again. This proved the case again for 1986, when he played in 15 games while catching 60 passes for 1,150 yards while scoring ten times. He experienced slowdown in the following, marred by playing just 12 games (as he was on strike from week 3 to 6). He caught 46 passes for 776 yards while scoring seven times. He renewed himself in 1988, having a Pro Bowl year with a career high 86 passes for 1,129 yards while scoring a league-leading 14 touchdowns.
He had another 1,000 yard season while playing 15 games in 1989, scoring nine times on 64 catches for 1,011 yards. He regressed to his lowest totals in 1990 by playing 10 games with 32 catches for 406 yards for three scores. He did have one more revival with the 1991 season, catching 70 passes for 1,053 yards while scoring 12 times for a fifth and final Pro Bowl selection. He ended his Miami career the next year, playing 13 games while catching 43 passes for 619 yards with three touchdowns. He moved to the
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...
for his final season in 1993 and played in 16 games. He caught 32 passes for 331 yards for three touchdowns.
Clayton finished his 11-year career with 582 receptions for 8,974 yards, along with 108 rushing yards, 40 kickoff return yards, and 485 punt return yards. He also scored 86 total touchdowns (84 receiving, one passing, and one punt return)
Legacy
He is in the
NFL
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the major ...
top 50 in receiving yards (tied for 39th) and receiving TDs (tied for 13th). He holds Dolphins records for career pass receptions and TDs. A favorite target of
Dan Marino
Daniel Constantine Marino Jr. (born September 15, 1961) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 17 seasons with the Miami Dolphins. After a successful college career at Pittsburgh and be ...
, he paired with
Mark Duper
Mark "Super" Duper (born January 25, 1959) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL) from 1982 to 1992. He played collegiately at Northwestern State ...
to form the popular "''Marks Brothers''", and they would play together for 10 years. At one point in time, the
Dan Marino
Daniel Constantine Marino Jr. (born September 15, 1961) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 17 seasons with the Miami Dolphins. After a successful college career at Pittsburgh and be ...
-Mark Clayton tandem was the most prolific in NFL history.
He is one of only three players in the history of the NFL who has caught a touchdown pass from both
Dan Marino
Daniel Constantine Marino Jr. (born September 15, 1961) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 17 seasons with the Miami Dolphins. After a successful college career at Pittsburgh and be ...
and
Brett Favre
Brett Lorenzo Favre ( ; born October 10, 1969) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 20 seasons, primarily with the Green Bay Packers. Favre had 321 consecutive starts from 1992 to 20 ...
during the NFL regular season. The others are
Keith Jackson
Keith Max Jackson (October 18, 1928 – January 12, 2018) was an American sports commentator, journalist, author, and radio personality, known for his career with ABC Sports (1966–2006). While he covered a variety of sports over his career ...
and
Mark Ingram
Mark Valentino Ingram II (born December 21, 1989) is an American football running back for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Alabama, where he was the first Alabama player to win the Heis ...
.
In 2003, he entered the
Miami Dolphins Ring of Honor, along with fellow "Marks Brother", Mark Duper on December 15, 2003. On June 20, 2014, it was announced that Clayton would be inducted into the Kentucky Pro Football Hall of Fame.
In 2005, he helped punctuate Marino's
Pro Football Hall of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame for professional American football, located in Canton, Ohio. Opened on September 7, , the Hall of Fame enshrines exceptional figures in the sport of professional football, including players, coach ...
induction speech by running through the crowd and catching one last pass from Marino thrown from the stage.
He now lives in Houston, Texas, with his sons Mark Gregory Clayton II and Matthew Clayton.
References
*"Mark Gregory Clayton". ''Marquis Who's Who'' TM. Marquis Who's Who, 2004.
Reproduced in Biography Resource Center. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Thomson Gale. 2005.
External links
Career Stats
{{DEFAULTSORT:Clayton, Mark
1961 births
American Conference Pro Bowl players
American football wide receivers
Green Bay Packers players
Living people
Louisville Cardinals football players
Miami Dolphins players
Players of American football from Indianapolis
African-American players of American football
21st-century African-American people
20th-century African-American sportspeople