Darrol Ray

Last updated

Darrol Ray
No. 28
Position: Safety
Personal information
Born: (1958-06-25) June 25, 1958 (age 66)
San Francisco, California, U.S.
Height:6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:200 lb (91 kg)
Career information
High school: Killeen (TX)
College: Oklahoma
NFL draft: 1980  / Round: 2 / Pick: 40
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Interceptions:21
Fumble recoveries:5
Touchdowns:4
Player stats at PFR

Darrol Anthony Ray (born June 25, 1958) is an American former professional football player who was a safety for the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL).

Contents

Early life

Ray spent his early years in Belgium, Germany, and France while his father served in the United States Army. After his father was discharged, the family moved to Texas, where Ray played quarterback at Killeen High School. He has said that he preferred to play soccer but that the atmosphere in the American South, especially Texas, was primed for football and so he kept it to himself. [1]

College career

After high school, Ray went to the University of Oklahoma, where he switched to defense and played safety. He was also the punter and handled kickoff duties. He ended his career as an Oklahoma Sooners football as a four-year letterman, two time 1st team All-Big Eight and 2nd team All-American. He played in the Hula, Senior, Orange, and Fiesta Bowls. He was also named to Oklahoma's All-Decade Team. [2]

Professional career

In 1980, he was selected by the New York Jets. He played 5 seasons with them, finishing his career with 21 interceptions, in which he returned for 581 yards and 3 touchdowns. He also recovered five fumbles, returning them for 131 yards and a score. In a 44-17 win over the Cincinnati Bengals in a playoff game after the 1982 season, Ray set an NFL playoff record by returning an interception 98 yards for a touchdown. Chances for appearing in the Super Bowl evaporated when the Jets lost to the Miami Dolphins two games later in the American Football Conference championship game.

Post-football life

Ray currently lives in Norman, Oklahoma, where he graduated from college. He owned a liquor store for 15 years, which he recently closed to open his restaurant, Ray's Smokehouse BBQ. [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Super Bowl IV</span> Fourth AFL–NFL Championship Game

Super Bowl IV was an American football game played on January 11, 1970, at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans, Louisiana. It was the fourth and final AFL–NFL World Championship Game in professional football prior to the AFL–NFL merger taking effect the following season. The American Football League (AFL) champion Kansas City Chiefs defeated the National Football League (NFL) champion Minnesota Vikings by the score of 23–7. This victory by the AFL squared the Super Bowl series with the NFL at two games apiece as the two leagues merged after the game.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Super Bowl XXXV</span> 2001 National Football League championship game

Super Bowl XXXV was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Baltimore Ravens and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion New York Giants to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 2000 season. The Ravens defeated the Giants by a score of 34–7, tied for the seventh largest Super Bowl margin of victory with Super Bowl XXXVII. The game was played on January 28, 2001, at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, making it the first time Raymond James Stadium has held a Super Bowl.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interception</span> American football play in which a defensive player catches a pass, resulting in a turnover

In ball-playing competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for a player of the same team but caught by a player of the team on defense, who thereby usually gains possession of the ball for their team. It is commonly seen in football, including American and Canadian football, as well as association football, rugby league, rugby union, Australian rules football and Gaelic football, as well as any sport by which a loose object is passed between players toward a goal. In basketball, this is called a steal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ed Reed</span> American football player, coach, and administrator (born 1978)

Edward Earl Reed Jr. is an American former professional football player who was a safety in the National Football League (NFL), spending the majority of his career with the Baltimore Ravens. He played college football for the Miami Hurricanes, where he played on Miami's 2001 national championship team and was named a unanimous All-American. He was selected by the Ravens in the first round of the 2002 NFL draft and played 11 seasons with them before playing with the Houston Texans and New York Jets in 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1982–83 NFL playoffs</span> Seasonal NFL playoffs

The National Football League playoffs for the 1982 season began on January 8, 1983. The postseason tournament concluded with the Washington Redskins defeating the Miami Dolphins in Super Bowl XVII, 27–17, on January 30, at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California.

Brodney Depaul Pool is a former American football safety in the National Football League (NFL) for the Cleveland Browns and New York Jets. He played college football at Oklahoma.

Derrick Lee Strait is a former American college and professional football player who was a cornerback in the National Football League (NFL) for three seasons during the early 2000s. He played college football for the University of Oklahoma, and was recognized as a unanimous All-American. The New York Jets chose him in the third round of the 2004 NFL Draft, and he also played professionally for the Chicago Bears and Carolina Panthers of the NFL.

Kenneth Ray Houston is an American former professional football player who was a safety in the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL). He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1986.

Ellis Hue Hobbs III is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback for six seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for Iowa State Cyclones. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the third round of the 2005 NFL Draft and played for them from 2005 to 2008. He was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles in April 2009 and played for them from 2009 to 2010, before a neck injury prematurely ended his career.

Dennis Lee Thurman is an American football coach and former player. He is a former coach in the National Football League (NFL) for the Phoenix Cardinals, the Baltimore Ravens and the New York Jets, and in the Alliance of American Football (AAF) for the Memphis Express. He played as a cornerback for the Dallas Cowboys and the St. Louis Cardinals. He played college football for the USC Trojans.

Darrien Jamal Gordon is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback for 10 seasons in the National Football League (NFL) (1993–2002). He was selected by the San Diego Chargers in the first round of the 1993 NFL Draft. During his NFL career, he played for five teams, appearing in four Super Bowls. Before his NFL career, Gordon played college football for the Stanford Cardinal, intercepting nine passes in three seasons. Since the NFL Scouting Combine began in 1985, he is one of three players who have been drafted in the first round after not being invited to the combine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dick Anderson</span> American politician

Richard Paul Anderson is an American former professional football player who was a safety for the Miami Dolphins of the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons during the 1960s and 1970s. He played college football for the Colorado Buffaloes and was recognized as a consensus All-American. He was selected in third round of the 1968 NFL/AFL draft, and he played for his entire professional career for the Dolphins.

Robert Dean "Bobby" Boyd was an American professional football player in the National Football League (NFL). Boyd spent his entire nine-year career as a cornerback for the Baltimore Colts from 1960 to 1968. He played college football for the Oklahoma Sooners.

William Calvin Bradley is an American former football player and coach. He played as a safety, punter and return specialist in the National Football League (NFL), earning All-Pro honors twice. He played with the Philadelphia Eagles for most of his career. As an assistant coach he won two Grey Cups in the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was also the defensive backs coach of the San Antonio Commanders of the Alliance of American Football.

Raymond DeWayne Clayborn is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback for the New England Patriots from 1977 to 1989 and the Cleveland Browns from 1990 to 1991 of the National Football League (NFL). A three-time Pro Bowl and five-time All-Pro selection, he was the Patriots' starting cornerback in Super Bowl XX. Prior to the that he was an All-American defensive back and a running back/returner at the University of Texas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aaron Ross</span> American football player (born 1982)

Aaron Jermaine Ross is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback in the National Football League (NFL). He won a college football national championship in 2005 with the Texas Longhorns and the 2006 Jim Thorpe Award as the nation's top defensive back. Ross was selected by the New York Giants in the first round of the 2007 NFL draft. He won Super Bowls XLII and XLVI with the Giants.

The Oil Bowl is a high school football all-star game in Wichita Falls, Texas. The game began in 1938, originally between East and West Texas high school football all-stars. In 1945, the game began pitting teams from Oklahoma and Texas, and continued in that format until 2012. In 2013, a dispute concerning the disposition of Oklahoma's share of the game's charitable proceeds led the Oklahoma Coaches Association to withdraw from the game, and the 2013 game matched two Texas teams. For the years in which Texas and Oklahoma teams played, the overall record was 46–19–1 in favor of Texas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dolphins–Jets rivalry</span> National Football League rivalry

The Dolphins–Jets rivalry is a rivalry between the Miami Dolphins and the New York Jets in the National Football League (NFL). The teams both play in the AFC East division, and play two scheduled games each season as a result. They have often competed for divisional supremacy, and have played several classic games. Currently, the Dolphins lead the series 60–56–1, while the Dolphins have won the lone postseason meeting, defeating the Jets in the 1982 AFC Championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shonn Greene</span> American football player (born 1985)

Shonn Greene is an American former football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Iowa Hawkeyes, earning unanimous All-American honors and winning the Doak Walker Award and the Jim Brown Trophy in 2008. He was selected by the New York Jets in the third round of the 2009 NFL draft. After four seasons with the Jets, he then played two more seasons for the Tennessee Titans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2011 New York Giants season</span> 87th season in franchise history; fourth Super Bowl win

The 2011 New York Giants season was the 87th season for the team in the National Football League (NFL). They played all of their home games at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Although the team failed to improve on their 10–6 mark from 2010, the Giants were able to qualify for the playoffs, and in another Cinderella run that paralleled what they did in 2007, they won Super Bowl XLVI, their fourth Super Bowl win in franchise history.

References

  1. Bell, Jack (January 29, 2008). "Super Sunday for Former Jet Involves All Types of Football". The New York Times.
  2. "Darrol Ray - #28 - FS - Oklahoma - Profile". Archived from the original on December 2, 2008. Retrieved November 13, 2008.
  3. Kinney, Michael (October 14, 2008). "From the sidelines to the smokehouse". Archived from the original on September 10, 2012. Retrieved November 13, 2008.