Mark Gregory Clayton and Mark Duper
April 8th, 1961 (Clayton) and January 25th, 1959 (Duper)
Wide Receivers
Miami Dolphins (1983-1992), Green Bay Packers (1993) (Clayton)
Miami Dolphins (1982-1992), Miami Hooters (1994) (Duper)
Mark Duper was drafted in the 2nd Round of the 1982 NFL Draft by the Miami Dolphins. He only appeared in 2 games that season, and was of little help to the Super Bowl-bound Dolphins. The Dolphins would fall in the Super Bowl, however, to the Washington Redskins 27-17.
Mark Clayton was drafted in the 8th Round of the 1983 NFL Draft the following year. He was another receiving option added for rookie quarterback Dan Marino, who was Miami’s first round pick that same year. Clayton appeared in 14 games that year, but was used sparingly as he only got 6 receptions for 114 yards (about 19 yards per reception) for 1 touchdown. Duper, on the other hand, played 16 games, and had a breakout season with 51 receptions for 1,003 yards and 10 touchdowns. That season, the Dolphins finished 12-4 but lost in the divisional round of the playoffs.
In 1984, the Marks Brothers began to be recognized more as the great tandem they were. In Dan Marino’s 5,000 yard passing season (the first and only season that would have a quarterback pass for 5,000 yards until Drew Brees, Matthew Stafford and Tom Brady all threw for 5,000 yards in the 2011 season), Clayton and Duper combined for 144 receptions for 2,695 yards and 26 touchdowns. Clayton’s regular season 18 touchdowns were an NFL record, which was broken 3 years later by that Jerry Rice fellow. Their outstanding play, combined with the rest of the offense and the Killer Bees defense (named after the fact that many of the starters had a last name beginning with B) helped Miami storm to a 14-2 regular season record and a Super Bowl appearance against the San Francisco 49ers. But the Dolphins were unable to capture their 1970’s magic and fell to the 49ers 38-16. As for the Marks Brothers, both were named to the Pro Bowl and All-Pro list.
Duper was injured in the 1985 season, so he only played in 9 games, while Clayton played in all 16. However that didn’t stop Duper from setting the franchise record of receiving yards in a game, with 210 in a win over the Jets. In the infamous Week 13 clash against the Chicago Bears, luck was on Clayton’s side when a tipped Marino pass by HOF DE/DT Dan Hampton travelled 30 yards in the air right into his arms for a touchdown. The loss would be Chicago’s only that season as they stormed to SB XX to face the Patriots, who beat the Dolphins at the Orange Bowl in the AFC Championship Game. It was the first time the Patriots beat the Dolphins at Miami since 1966. Clayton finished the season with 70 receptions for 996 yards and 4 touchdowns, while Duper’s injury-shortened season had him finish with 35 receptions for 650 yards. Clayton enjoyed a Pro Bowl berth and an All-Pro selection for his efforts that season.
The Marks Brothers will always be remembered as Dan Marino’s favorite targets during their tenure with the Dolphins. The duo were seemingly always making highlight-worthy plays, and were cornerstones to the Shula Dolphins teams of the 1980’s. Clayton even caught one final touchdown pass from Dan Marino after his [Marino] induction in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, when Dan threw a football to Clayton who was in the crowd of attendees during the ceremony.