Mark Clayton (American football, born 1961)
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| Position: | Wide receiver | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Date of birth: | April 8, 1961 | ||||||||
| Place of birth: | Indianapolis, Indiana | ||||||||
| Height: | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 177 lb (80 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| College: | Louisville | ||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 1983 / Round: 8 / Pick: 223 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Mark Gregory Clayton (born April 8, 1961) is a former American football wide receiver who played most of his career with the Miami Dolphins, entering the league in 1983 with the Dolphins and playing there until 1992. He finished out his career with the Green Bay Packers, playing a single season with them in 1993. He attended the University of Louisville.
A favorite target of Dan Marino, he paired with Mark Duper to form the popular "Marks Brothers". He was a five time Pro Bowl player in 1984, 1985, 1986, 1988 and 1991. 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 88 total touchdowns (87 receiving and 1 punt return)
He is in the NFL top 50 in receiving yards (tied for 39th) and receiving TDs (tied for 13th). He holds Dolphins records for career pass receptions and TDs, as well as receiving yards in a single season. At one point in time, the Dan Marino-Mark Clayton tandem was the most prolific in NFL history.
His 1984 single season record of 18 touchdown catches was broken in 1987 by Jerry Rice and is still tied for the third highest total in NFL history.[1]
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.[2]
In 2005, he helped punctuate Marino's Pro Football Hall of Fame induction speech by running through the crowd and catching one last pass from the legend thrown from the stage.
He is one of only three players in the history of the NFL who has caught a touchdown pass from both Dan Marino and Brett Favre during the NFL regular season. The others are Keith Jackson and Mark Ingram.
He now lives in Houston, Texas.
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.