Ralph Clayton
| No. 22, 86 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Wingback,Wide receiver | ||||
| Personal information | |||||
| Born: | September 29, 1958 Highland Park, Michigan,U.S. | ||||
| Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||
| Weight: | 222 lb (101 kg) | ||||
| Career information | |||||
| High school: | Redford(Detroit, Michigan) | ||||
| College: | Michigan | ||||
| NFL draft: | 1980/ round: 2 / pick: 47 | ||||
| Career history | |||||
| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||
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Ralph Darrell Clayton(born September 29, 1958) is an American former professionalfootballplayer who was awide receiverfor theSt. Louis Cardinalsof theNational Football League(NFL). A native ofDetroit,Michigan, Clayton playedcollege footballas a "wingback"for theUniversity of Michiganfrom 1976 to 1979 and was the leading receiver for theMichigan Wolverines footballteam in both 1977 and 1978. After being selected by theNew York Jetsin the second round of the1980 NFL draft,Clayton missed the1980 NFL seasondue to injury. He later signed with St. Louis and appeared in seven games for the Cardinals during the1981 NFL season.
Early life
[edit]Clayton was born inHighland Park, Michigan,in 1958. He attendedRedford High Schoolin Detroit.[1]
University of Michigan
[edit]Clayton enrolled at theUniversity of Michiganin 1976 and playedcollege footballas a "wingback"for head coachBo Schembechler'sMichigan Wolverines footballteams from 1976 to 1979.[2][3]As a freshman in 1976, Clayton was listed as a "junior varsity" player,[2]though he did appear in six games for the Wolverines as a backup running back and compiled 52 rushing yards on nine carries and 13 receiving yards on two catches.[4]
1977 season
[edit]As a sophomore, Clayton started eight games at the wingback position for the1977 Michigan Wolverines football teamthat compiled a 10-2 record, tied for theBig Ten Conferencechampionship, and outscored opponents 353 to 124.[5]In the fourth game of the season, Clayton caught three passes for 99 yards, leading some to compare him to Michigan's recently graduated All-American receiverJim Smith.[6]Clayton also led all Michigan receivers with five catches for 84 yards in a 27-20 loss toWashingtonin the1978 Rose Bowl.[7]Teamed withRick Leachas Michigan'squarterback,Clayton was Michigan's leading receiver in 1977 with 24 receptions for 477 yards and two touchdowns.[4]
1978 season
[edit]As a junior, Clayton started 10 games at wingback for the1978 Michigan teamthat again compiled a 10-2 record, tied for the Big Ten championship and outscored opponents 372 to 106.[8]On October 21, 1978, in a 42-0 victory overWisconsin,Clayton scored two touchdowns, one on a 27-yard run and the other on a 65-yard reception from Rick Leach.[9]Three weeks later, Clayton caught five passes for a career-high 122 receiving yards and two touchdowns in a 59-14 victory overNorthwestern.[10]For the second consecutive year, Clayton was Michigan's leading receiver, totaling 25 receptions for 546 yards and eight touchdowns.[4]Clayton's eight receiving touchdowns in 1978 tied a Michigan school record.[11]
1979 season
[edit]As a senior, Clayton started all 12 games at wingback for the1979 Michigan team.[12]On October 6, 1979, Clayton had a career-high 66-yard game-winning touchdown catch from B. J. Dickey in 21-7 victory overMichigan State.[4]In his final game in a Michigan uniform, Clayton had a 50-yard reception fromJohn Wanglerin the1979 Gator Bowl.[13]Clayton finished the season with 16 receptions for 357 yards and one touchdown. While Clayton had led Michigan in receiving in 1977 and 1978 with Rick Leach at quarterback, he finished third in receiving for the 1979 team (behindDoug MarshandAnthony Carter) with Dickey and Wangler at quarterback.[4]
Career statistics
[edit]In four years at Michigan, Clayton accumulated 67 receptions for 1,393 yards and 11 touchdowns. When his Michigan career ended, he ranked fourth in career receiving yards and second in career receiving touchdowns. He also served as akick returnerand averaged 20.4 yards for 20 kickoff returns. He carried the ball occasionally and totaled 159 yards on 31rushes.[4]
Professional football
[edit]Clayton was selected by theNew York Jetsin the second round (47th overall pick) of the1980 NFL draft.[1]He sustained a stress fracture to the leftfibulain August 1980 and did not appear in any regular season games during the1980 NFL season.[1][14]He returned to the Jets for pre-season training camp in 1981 but was released in late August 1981.[15]Clayton was then signed by theSt. Louis Cardinalsand appeared in seven games for the Cardinals during the1981 NFL season.[1][16]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^abcd"Ralph Clayton".Pro-Football-Reference.com.Sports Reference LLC.RetrievedMarch 30,2015.
- ^ab"All-Time Football Roster Database".University of Michigan, Bentley Historical Library.RetrievedMarch 26,2015.
- ^"Clayton plays his game".The Michigan Daily.October 10, 1979. p. 10.
- ^abcdef"Michigan Football Statistic Archive Query Page".University of Michigan. Archived fromthe originalon November 12, 2007.RetrievedMarch 30,2015.(to retrieve information for a particular season, go to "Games & Totals by Season" and select the year for which statistics are to be retrieved)
- ^"1977 Football Team".University of Michigan, Bentley Historical Library.RetrievedMarch 30,2015.
- ^"Clayton: Big shoes to fill".The Michigan Daily.October 9, 1977. p. 8.
- ^"Washington shocks Michigan 27-20".St. Petersburg Times.January 3, 1978. p. 3C.
- ^"1978 Football Team".University of Michigan, Bentley Historical Library.RetrievedMarch 30,2015.
- ^"Michigan Outruns Wisconsin, 42-0".The Pittsburgh Press.October 22, 1978. p. D9.
- ^"Michigan Jolts Northwestern, 59-14".Toledo Blade.November 12, 1978. p. D1.
- ^"Georgia's Bluebonnet chore".St. Petersburg Times.December 30, 1978. p. 3c.
- ^"1979 Football Team".University of Michigan, Bentley Historical Library.RetrievedMarch 30,2015.
- ^"Tar Heels embarrass Wolverines 17-15".St. Petersburg Times.December 29, 1979. p. 5C.
- ^"Jets' Rookie Clayton Fractures Left Ankle".Sarasota Herald-Tribune (AP story).August 24, 1980. p. 6C.
- ^"Skorupan, Clayton Cut".The Hour, Norwalk, Conn. (AP story).August 26, 1981. p. 45.
- ^"Clayton replaces old teammate".The Michigan Daily.October 30, 1981. p. 14.