Houston Patriot
Catching up with Raymond Clayborn
He is currently tied with Ty Law for the all-time interceptions record in New England Patriots history with 36. A staple in the secondary, Raymond Clayborn enjoyed 13 seasons (1977-89) with the Patriots, earning Pro Bowl honors three times (1983, 85, 86). “I’m very happy with my career in New England,” said Clayborn. “I was happiest when I was on the football field in New England.”
As far as the all-time interceptions record it appeared only a matter of time before Law would break the record, but an early season injury prevented that. “I really feel he has already broken the record by virtue of winning one Super Bowl,” said Clayborn. “Just give me a Super Bowl ring and they can have all the rest of it. “I had a lot of help. I believe if Mike Haynes had stayed with the Patriots I would have had a lot more. They would have thrown at me a lot more. It’s something that I am proud of, but didn’t even know I had it.”
Clayborn is also known for an incident that happened after a Patriots game in 1979 when he had a confrontation with Will McDonough, which resulted in punches being thrown. Now, the incident is in the past and Clayborn has apologized and regrets it even happened. “My biggest set back was an incident with Will McDonough and myself,” said Clayborn. “That was a pretty low moment in my life and I did something that I feel stupid about. At the time I had too big of an ego to come out and say it. I don’t like talking about it and I overcame it through forgiveness with him and myself.”
These days, Clayborn resides in Houston, Texas with his wife Kimberly. Clayborn has two daughters, Lindsey and Sydney and a son, Raymond Jr. For work, Clayborn is an outreach controller for the state of Texas, a job he got through a friend. “I was looking around and a friend (Mark Mason) suggested politics might be a good thing for me,” said Clayborn. “He said I was personable, I love to talk and I love people. I get to get out and go to all types of functions. I am not stuck in an office all day long. It’s more of a meet-and-greet type of deal and expressing opinions. You hear what other people’s opinions are and relay them back to the controller so she can keep pace with what’s going on in the Houston area. I love it.”
Outside of work, Clayborn enjoys spending time with his family. “I love being a part of soccer, basketball and tee-ball practices,” said Clayborn. “I’ve done a lot of that over the last several years.”
Clayborn played a total of 15 seasons in the NFL and after playing with the Patriots, he closed out his career playing two seasons in 1990 and 1991 with the Cleveland Browns. A first-round draft pick out of Texas in 1977, Clayborn displayed amazing durability throughout his Patriots career. Clayborn played in all 16 games in nine of the 13 seasons and played in 14 games two other seasons. “I felt I had obligations not to let the guys down I was playing with,” said Clayborn. “I went out there prepared. I tried to understand what was going on with the people I worked with as far as what we were trying to accomplish against a particular team.”
As far as the current Patriots, Clayborn loves to brag about them to everyone in Houston. “I mention the championships they keep winning up there,” said Clayborn. “I just wish I were part of the championships. They look like they are on their way to being one of the greatest teams in the history of the NFL. I am very proud of them and there are a lot of good guys on that team.” 