NORMAN — There isn’t much Mark Clayton hasn’t done on a football field. He was a two-time All-American at Oklahoma and rewrote most of the receiving records in the process.
In 2005, he was the Baltimore Ravens first-round pick and has been a steady starter in the NFL the last five seasons.
But something was missing in his life.
“For me, it’s about leaving a legacy,” he said. “I have a son now. He’s 2 years old. I want to be able to say, ‘When you go to school, you’re going and you’re finishing. It’s not just starting and cutting out. No. We finish. In the Clayton family, we’re going to be finishers.’”
Clayton did that Saturday when he received his degree in communications from OU. He was one of 121 athletes to graduate Saturday, but he was one of 10 who did so after spending a few years away from school. Former All-American defensive back Derrick Strait was among that group, too.
Both left OU with just about a semester worth or work left to pick up their degrees. Clayton needed about 12 hours after the 2004 season ended. Strait needed four.
But when do you find the time to do it?
Clayton didn’t think it would matter when he was drafted in 2005.
But every year in the NFL means a player is one step closer to retirement or being replaced.
“Once you get in, and are part of it, you see guys coming and going. Physically your body is always deteriorating,” he said. “Your mind isn’t going anywhere, you can always process information. Take advantage of your physical ability early, but keep in mind you’re going to have to finish this thing out using your brain, using your mind.
“In the NFL (you play until your) mid-30s if you’re lucky. That’s very rare. School is very important. To go into the work force, you’re going to need your degree.”
For Clayton, it actually meant returning to Norman and taking classes. It meant, at 27 years old, taking a meteorology class with students 10 years his junior.
But his plans for going to seminary and becoming a youth counselor after his playing days end require him to get his undergraduate degree.
Strait had the same epiphany when his playing career ended in 2007.
“Pro ball came to an end for me because of my shoulders and I knew I wanted to do something else for a career,” he said. “I’d really like to get into coaching, maybe at OU someday. I just want to get myself established and begin that part of my life.”
Both took big steps in that direction Saturday. Clayton took his 10 years after he first arrived at OU. For Strait, it was 11. It might not have dawned on either how important a college degree would be a decade ago, but wisdom comes with age.
“When I left I didn’t feel like I would come back, that I’d be in the NFL, and that would be fine,” Clayton said. “As my career went on I started thinking, ‘Man I need to finish because there are some things that I want to do that I know the degree would open doors to.’”
It’s never too late to make it happen.
John Shinn 366-3536 jshinn@normantranscript.com
