With gridiron will, walk-ons chase dream at Missouri, Kentucky

June 12, 2007
By J. Darin Darst
CBS SportsLine.com Staff Writer
Tell J. Darin your opinion



Terry Clayton, Kentucky : He might only have one tackle in 10 career games for the Wildcats, but senior linebacker Terry Clayton is more than just your average walk-on.

"Most people are surprised that I am deaf and on the football team," said the senior. "They didn't think I could be on the football team when I was in my high school years. So, I just show them how I can play football with hearing loss. All I have to do is watch the ball, read lips, and I have an interpreter with me on the sideline with the coaches."

Clayton lost his hearing at age 5 after a bout with chicken pox and high fever, but has never let it get in the way of what he wants to accomplish.

He is majoring in kinesiology and made the SEC Academic Honor Roll in 2005 and '06, earning a 3.6 one semester. Last season he was honored with the Carol S. Adelstein Outstanding Student Award, presented to the student with a disability who serves as an inspiration to the community. He also returned to the Kentucky School for the Deaf, where he attended as a child, to encourage students.

"Battling school and football is tough, so I keep going. I want to be successful and a role model to people who are like me," added Clayton.

Recently, Clayton was fitted with a hearing aid that has allowed him to hear some sounds. One sound he remembered from his childhood.

"The first time I had it on, it was totally different because it was so loud," said Clayton. "I could hear when I was young, so I could still remember my mother's voice in my head. It was good to hear the sound of voices again from my mother and family, too."