 Ray playing for Vanderbilt | |||||||||
| No. 44 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Offensive tackle | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born | (1914-09-30)September 30, 1914 Una, Tennessee, U.S. | ||||||||
| Died | January 21, 1986(1986-01-21) (aged 71) Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | ||||||||
| Weight | 249 lb (113 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school | Nashville (TN) Central | ||||||||
| College | Vanderbilt | ||||||||
| NFL draft | 1938: undrafted | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Buford Garfield"Baby" Ray (September 30, 1914 – January 21, 1986) was an American professionalfootball player who played 11 seasons in theNational Football League for theGreen Bay Packers from 1938 to 1948.
Ray was born in Una,Tennessee, an unincorporated town east ofNashville.[1] He attendedCentral High School in Nashville.[2]
Ray played forVanderbilt University for three seasons, 1935–1937. He was a stand-out at bothoffensive anddefensive tackle, due in part to his tremendous size. Ray stood 6' 6" and weighed over 280 pounds, much larger than nearly all college football players of the day.[3] In his final season with the Commodores, Ray was named a co-captain.[4]
Ray also competed in theshot put while at Vanderbilt.[5]
Ray was not selected in the1938 NFL draft, and became the subject of afree agent bidding war betweenGeorge Halas of theChicago Bears andCurly Lambeau of the Packers.[6] Ray signed with Green Bay, playing the entirety of his 11-year NFL career with the Packers.
Early in his career, Ray shed upwards of 25 pounds from his college playing weight,[6] helping to improve his mobility. Throughout his pro career, Ray typically played at 250-255 pounds.[7]
Ray appeared in the1940 NFL All-Star Game. He was named to theUnited Press InternationalAll-Pro team four times, once to the First-team (1941) and three times to the Second-team (1939, 1943 and 1944).[1]
Ray was a member of the Packers'1939 and1944 NFL championship teams.[3]
After retiring as a player, Ray returned to Vanderbilt as an assistant coach underhead coachBill Edwards.[8] He later became the university's first full-time football recruiter[2] and also served as the head of the physical education department.[8] Following his tenure at Vanderbilt, he rejoined the Packers organization as a scout.[3]
In 1969, Ray was named to theNational Football League 1940s All-Decade Team by thePro Football Hall of Fame.[3] He was inducted into theGreen Bay Packers Hall of Fame in 1973[4] and into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame in 1983.[2]
Ray died of a heart attack in Nashville on January 21, 1986, at the age of 71 following a hunting trip.[8][9]
Ray had three children with his wife, Jane Burns Ray. They made their home in Nashville.[8]