| No. 53, 74, 65 | |||||||
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| Positions | Offensive tackle Guard | ||||||
| Personal information | |||||||
| Born | (1954-06-29)June 29, 1954 (age 71) Seattle, Washington, U.S. | ||||||
| Height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||||||
| Weight | 251 lb (114 kg) | ||||||
| Career information | |||||||
| High school | Shorecrest (Shoreline, Washington) | ||||||
| College | Washington | ||||||
| NFL draft | 1976:2nd round, 37th overall pick | ||||||
| Career history | |||||||
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| Awards and highlights | |||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||
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Raymond Earl Pinney Jr. (born June 29, 1954) is an American former professionalfootballoffensive tackle andguard who played in theNational Football League (NFL) seven seasons with thePittsburgh Steelers. He was selected by the Steelers in the second round of the1976 NFL draft and started for them during theirSuper Bowl XIII victory. He also spent three seasons in theUnited States Football League (USFL).
Pinney was selected in thesecond round of the1976 NFL draft (37th overall) by the two-time defending Super Bowl championPittsburgh Steelers. He playedcollege football at theUniversity of Washington inSeattle under head coachesJim Owens andDon James and was ateam captain for the Huskies in1974 and1975.
As a rookie in1976, Pinney was a backup tackle and appeared in 14 regular season games.The following season, he played in 14 regular season games with two starts. Pinney earned the start at right tackle inSuper Bowl XIII in January 1979 overLarry Brown, who had been the starter the majority of the season. He earned his first Super Bowl ring in the35–31 victory over theDallas Cowboys. Pinney missed the entire1979 season due to injuries. Although he was on the roster, he sat in the stands at theRose Bowl during theSuper Bowl XIV, a31–19 victory over theLos Angeles Rams.[1]
Pinney returned in1980 but changed position as Brown had solidified himself as the starting right tackle in his absence; he started all 16 regular season games in 1980 at left guard. He began the1981 season as the Pittsburgh's starting left tackle, winning the job over longtime starterJon Kolb, and had 11 starts and appeared in all 16 games. During the1982 season, Pinney started all nine games at left tackle.[2]
With the upstartUSFL coming in fruition, Pinney was targeted along with other Steeler players. He signed with theMichigan Panthers after they had offered him twice his previous salary. He played offensive tackle for them and helped them win the USFL Championshipin1983.[3]
After the 1984 season, the Michigan Panthers merged with theOakland Invaders. Pinney played the1985 season (spring) with the Invaders until the USFL ceased operations.[3]
After the USFL folded, Pinney returned to the Pittsburgh Steelers; he cited he was brought back because the Steelers knew he could play and he wasn't a locker room distraction.[3] He resumed his starting left tackle duties from three years earlier and played in 15 games with 11 starts in1985 and started fifteen games in1986. In his last season in1987 at age 33, Pinney played in six games and was hampered by injuries.[2] He had announced that he cleared out his locker at the end of the season, and Steelers' ownerDan Rooney notified him by phone that his contract would not be renewed.[1]