A big man with a big heart and an unswerving dedication to the youthful athletes of Greater Cleveland, John Peyton’s passion was to “keep the kids on the playgrounds and off the streets.” Countless rec rooms and mantles in Northeastern Ohio homes are decorated with plaques, medals and trophies bearing testimony to his determination to develop awards programs for as many young athletes as possible in as many sports as possible.  He offered time, support and guidance to a multitude of sports organizations: executive secretary for two high school leagues, the MAC and the NCL; board member of the CYO;  CAVS Rebounders Club and the Parma Amateur Athletic Foundation; and supervisor of area baseball and softball tourneys for the OHSAA. Most visible was his work with two of the city’s highest profile sports groups:  as Executive Secretary of the Cleveland Baseball Federation, he was indispensable in keeping it a bulwark for the city’s amateur baseball programs. And when, in his second term as president of the Cleveland Touchdown Club, an organization supporting all levels of football competition, the Browns flew off to Baltimore, he resolutely kept the Club afloat until the team was reborn. Before his heart stopped suddenly in October, 2000 at age 44, he would have pooh-poohed the added importance of those last two roles.  For John Peyton, it was all about the games.