Last Updated on: 9th April 2022, 09:29 pm
Who is Rayfield Wright of Georgia, US? Biography, Wiki
Rayfield Wright, the Pro Football Hall of Fame offensive tackle nicknamed “Big Cat,” who played in five Super Bowls during his 13 NFL seasons with the Dallas Cowboys, died Thursday.
Rayfield Wright’s Age
His current age was 76 years.
Rayfield Wright Early Life
Wright’s family confirmed his death Thursday to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, who said Wright was hospitalized for several days after suffering a severe seizure. The cowboys also confirmed the death.
Wright, a tall player for his time at 6ft 6 and over 250 pounds, had already been a backup tight end for a couple of seasons when coach Tom Landry asked him to play tackle. A surprised Wright said he had never played tackle in his life, but Landry told him it would be good.
Rayfield Wright Net Worth
His net worth was approximately 5 million US Dollars, according to various web sources.
Rayfield Wright Professional Career
Wright began tackling in a 1969 game against Deacon Jones, the most dominant passer of that era. Wright stuck to his guns and was deployed as a full-time starter at right tackle in 1970, when Dallas won its first Super Bowl. The Cowboys then won their first Super Bowl title in 1971, the first of six straight seasons that Wright was a Pro Bowl player. He was a three-time All-Pro.
“He was absolutely the best,” said Hall of Famer quarterback Roger Staubach before Wright was inducted into the Hall in 2006. “He was able to handle some of the faster defensive ends and even linebacker attacks. I don’t remember if they hit him. No.”
Rayfield Wright Personal life
His nickname “Big Cat” was because he was very agile for his size.
Dallas won another Super Bowl in 1977, but Wright only played two games that season due to knee surgery. He had played in 95 of the team’s 98 regular-season games and started 94 of those in the previous seven seasons.
After starting just 16 of his 31 games in 1978 and 1979, the Cowboys released him the following spring. He signed with NFC East rivals Philadelphia but officially retired without playing a game for the Eagles due to nagging injuries early in training camp.
Wright was diagnosed with early-stage dementia in 2012, but has been plagued by seizures since retiring. He thought they were from the effects of constant hits to the head while playing football. For a long time he suffered from headaches, dizziness, irritability and sometimes inexplicable forgetfulness.
His Interview
In a 2014 interview with The New York Times, Wright said he had suffered so many concussions during his NFL career that he couldn’t even count them.
When he was finally inducted into the Hall of Fame more than a quarter century after his last game, Wright was introduced by longtime Fort Valley State football coach Stan Lomax in Canton, Ohio.
Wright didn’t even form his high school football team in Griffin, Georgia for three years before going to his home state of Fort Valley State to play basketball. The following summer, Lomax had him quit his summer job at the factory to prepare to join the soccer team.
Lomax tested Wright at free safety and then used him as a punter, defensive end, and tight end. The coach also became the father figure to Wright, who was selected by the Cowboys in the seventh round of the 1967 NFL Draft.
Wright still preferred basketball, although after his junior season he turned down an offer to sign with the NBA’s Cincinnati Royals, the franchise that is now the Sacramento Kings, so he could complete his education.
He still had his eyes on the NBA when Gil Brandt, the Cowboys’ director of player personnel, called and said the team was interested in signing him.
Early Years
“I realized the potential of playing for the Cowboys was a God-given opportunity and I couldn’t ignore it. I decided to attend the Cowboys training camp, which was held in July. The Royals camp didn’t start until August.” , he told Wright . in his Hall of Fame speech. “I figured if I didn’t make the Cowboys team, I could go straight to the NBA.”
Wright said Brandt hired “anyone who could walk” and was among 137 rookies at Cowboys training camp in 1967. He was one of five who made the team.
