 Wright in Hall of Fame jacket in 2006 | |||||||
| No. 85, 67, 70 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Offensive tackle | ||||||
| Personal information | |||||||
| Born | (1945-08-23)August 23, 1945 Griffin, Georgia, U.S. | ||||||
| Died | April 7, 2022(2022-04-07) (aged 76) Willow Park, Texas, U.S. | ||||||
| Height | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | ||||||
| Weight | 270 lb (122 kg) | ||||||
| Career information | |||||||
| High school | Griffin (GA) Fairmont | ||||||
| College | Fort Valley State (1963–1966) | ||||||
| NFL draft | 1967:7th round, 182nd overall pick | ||||||
| Career history | |||||||
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||
| |||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||
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Larry Rayfield Wright (August 23, 1945 – April 7, 2022) was an American professionalfootball player who was anoffensive tackle for theDallas Cowboys of theNational Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons. He is a member of thePro Football Hall of Fame, having been inducted in 2006.[1][2]
Nicknamed "Big Cat" for his nimble feet,[1] Wright played on fiveNFC Championship teams that advanced to theSuper Bowl (1970,1971,1975,1977, and1978 seasons), winning twice. He also participated in theIce Bowl against theGreen Bay Packers for theNFL championship in his rookie season in1967.
Born and raised inGriffin, Georgia, and raised by his mother Opel Wright, he attended Fairmont High School, which was merged withGriffin High School. He was aletterman inbasketball, but he was unable to make thehigh school football team.[1][3]
Wright went to nearbyFort Valley State College to playcollege basketball, where he was a standout player. The following summer, head coachStan Lomax made him quit his summer job at a mill to get ready to join the Wildcats'football team. Lomax tried Wright atfree safety, then used him as apunter,defensive end andtight end. The coach also became a father figure to Wright.[4]
Wright was aBoy Scout who, at an early age, memorizedRobert Frost's poemThe Road Not Taken. In his later years, he credited the poem with helping him navigate the choices he faced in life.[3]
Wright was selected by theDallas Cowboys in theseventh round of the1967 NFL/AFL draft, 182nd overall, as atight end. During his first three years with Dallas, the 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m), 225 lb (102 kg) "Big Cat" was atight end,defensive lineman, andoffensive tackle.
In his third season in1969, Wright got his first chance as astarter afterRalph Neely was sidelined by injury. His opponent in his first start wasLos Angeles Rams futureHall of Famedefensive endDeacon Jones, who was in his prime. Wright's performance was so strong that he won a starting role asright tackle before the first day oftraining camp in1970.
For thirteen seasons, Wright played more than 200 games, started atright tackle in sixNFC Championship games, and played in fiveSuper Bowls, winning two of them: (VI,XII). He earned his first of fourAll-Pro honors in1971 and was voted that same year to the first of six straightPro Bowls.
Wright was named first- or second-teamAll-Pro each season from1971 through1976, earned three All-NFC honors, and the Cowboys led the league for total offense five times (ranked 6th all-time at retirement in1979). His blocking and leadership as the team's co-captain for seven years helped the Cowboys win 10 division titles and six conference crowns.
Released by the Cowboys in March1980, Wright signed in April with division rivalPhiladelphia,[5] but retired early in training camp in July1980.[6]
He anchored the line for an offense that finished in the top ten in scoring all ten seasons of the 1970s, while helping pave the way for the first five 1,000-yard rushers in Cowboys' history.[1]
Wright played at a time when theright tackle was the most important spot on the offensive line, and was usually paired against the opponent's best pass rusher. He broke every time-honored mold previously held for men of his size. He was light on his feet and possessed an athleticism that had him miscast as a tight end and defensive end for the first three years of his NFL career.
"Rayfield could do it all," said former Cowboysrunning backCalvin Hill after Wright's election to thePro Football Hall of Fame. "He could pull. He could run in the open field. He could finesse-block and power-block in the run game. And there was no one better in pass-blocking. He was dominant."
"He was absolutely the best," saidRoger Staubach. "Rayfield was a big, strong guy that was able to transfer his size and strength from tight end to tackle. He also had such quick feet that he was able to deal with some of the faster defensive ends and even the linebacker blitzes. If he got beat, I don't remember it."
Was voted theNFLPA NFC Offensive Lineman of the Year in1972.
Wright was also presented with a number of individual awards following the conclusion of his career, including the NFL All-Super Bowl Team (1990), the Dallas Cowboys 25th Anniversary Team (1985), the Cowboys' ownRing of Honor (2004), theTexas Sports Hall of Fame (2005) and was named to theNFL’s All-Decade Team of the 1970s.
Wright was inducted into theGeorgia Sports Hall of Fame in 1988. He was a member of the NFL All-Time Super Bowl Team in 1990 and received the NFL Legends Award that same year. He was inducted into the Texas Black Sports Hall of Fame in 2002. In 2004, Rayfield Wright was inducted in theDallas Cowboys Ring of Honor and theTexas Sports Hall of Fame. In 2006, he was elected to thePro Football Hall of Fame. He was officially inducted, with introduction by college coach Leon J. "Stan" Lomax, during the Enshrinement Ceremony on August 6, 2006[7] where his bust, sculpted byScott Myers, was unveiled.
He was also inducted into the State of Georgia Hall of Fame, the Fort Valley Georgia Hall of Fame and the Griffin Georgia Hall of Fame.
In 1992, Wright served as an assistant coach to theArizona Rattlers of theArena Football League. Wright's post-football involvement with at-risk, inner city youth resulted in his appointment to the Juvenile Supreme Court in Arizona. He also served as president of the NFL Alumni Chapter, "Caring for Kids" program in the mid-90s. His philanthropic endeavors, including the non-profit "Kids 4 Tomorrow" organization he co-founded with some other NFL players, were featured in Volume 9 of thePhilanthropy World Magazine,[8] along with former Cowboy teammate,Cliff Harris.
Wright founded the Rayfield Wright Foundation, which helps children obtain grants to attend college. He authored and published his autobiographyWright Up Front.
In his later years, Wright battled early-onsetdementia, the result of numerous head injuries he says he had in 13 seasons, more than 180 regular-season and playoff games from 1967 to 1979.[2][9] Wright claimed to have suffered several concussions throughout his career, and struggled with memory loss, and claimed to have been in several car accidents caused by seizures.[3] Wright joined other former NFL players in a class-action suit against the NFL accusing the league of hiding evidence of head trauma causing degenerative brain disease; the lawsuit was settled in 2015.[3]
Wright died on April 7, 2022, at the age of 76.[10][3] At the time of his death, he was survived by his wife Di; his three daughters Courtney Minor, Anitra Hernandez, and Ariel Wright; his sons Laray and Larry Jr; and his brother Lamar.[3]
