Clayton was born in Braddock, Pennsylvania, outside Pittsburgh, in 1954.
He began covering the Pittsburgh Steelers while in high school in 1972, the year of Franco Harris’ Immaculate Reception. It was said that in the chaos of the Pittsburgh press box — the Steelers had never won a playoff game — that Clayton approached an NFL official and asked to see a replay because he wanted to make sure the play was legal.
R.I.P. Professor.