Ray Bray

{{Short description|American football player (1917–1996)}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2024}}

{{Use American English|date=March 2023}}

{{Infobox NFL biography

| name = Ray Bray

| image = Ray Bray - 1951 Bowman.jpg

| caption = Bray on a 1951 Bowman football card

| number = 82, 63

| position = Guard
Defensive end

| birth_date = {{birth date|1917|2|1|mf=y}}

| birth_place = Vulcan, Michigan, U.S.

| death_date = {{death date and age|1998|05|13|1917|02|1}}

| death_place = Mesa, Arizona, U.S.

| height_ft = 6

| height_in = 0

| weight_lb = 237

| high_school = Norway-Vulcan

| college = Western Michigan

| draftyear = 1939

| draftround = 9

| draftpick = 76

| pastteams = * Chicago Bears ({{NFL Year|1939|1942}}, {{NFL Year|1946|1951}})

| highlights = * 3× NFL Champion (1940-1941, 1946)

| statlabel1 = Games played

| statvalue1 = 121

| statlabel2 = Games started

| statvalue2 = 88

| statlabel3 = Fumble recoveries

| statvalue3 = 7

| pfr = B/BrayRa00

}}

Raymond Robert Bray (February 1, 1917 – December 26, 1993) was an American professional football player who was an offensive guard and defensive lineman for 11 seasons in the National Football League (NFL).{{cite web |title=Ray Bray |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/B/BrayRa00.htm |website=Pro Football Reference |publisher=Sports Reference LLC |access-date=June 18, 2022}} He served in the U.S. Navy from 1943 to 1945.

Biography

Ray Bray was born February 1, 1917, in Caspian, Michigan.

His football career began at Western State Normal School (now known as Western Michigan University) where he played football from 1936 to 1938. He was selected in the ninth round of the 1939 NFL draft.{{Cite web |title=1939 NFL Draft Listing |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/1939/draft.htm |access-date=2023-03-27 |website=Pro-Football-Reference.com |language=en}}

Bray was selected in the 9th round of the 1939 NFL draft by the Chicago Bears, who made him the 76th overall selection.

As a player, during the off-season he operated a used car lot on Chicago's side.Frank A. Korch (ed.), The Bears 1950: Thirty-First Year. Chicago: Chicago Bears Football Club, 1950; p. 20.

Bray died December 26, 1993, in Mesa, Arizona.

References