1. Buford Garfield "Baby" Ray was an American football player who played 11 seasons in the National Football League for the Green Bay Packers from 1938 to 1948.
12 Facts About Baby Ray
1. 2.
Baby Ray was a stand-out at both offensive and defensive tackle, due in part to his tremendous size.
3.
Baby Ray was not selected in the 1938 NFL draft, and became the subject of a free agent bidding war between George Halas of the Chicago Bears and Curly Lambeau of the Packers.
4.
Baby Ray signed with Green Bay, playing the entirety of his 11-year NFL career with the Packers.
5.
Early in his career, Baby Ray shed upwards of 25 pounds from his college playing weight, helping to improve his mobility.
6.
Baby Ray was named to the United Press International All-Pro team four times, once to the First-team and three times to the Second-team.
7.
Baby Ray was a member of the Packers' 1939 and 1944 NFL championship teams.
8.
Baby Ray later became the university's first full-time football recruiter and served as the head of the physical education department.
9.
In 1969, Baby Ray was named to the National Football League 1940s All-Decade Team by the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
10.
Baby Ray was inducted into the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame in 1973 and into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame in 1983.
11.
Baby Ray died of a heart attack in Nashville on January 21,1986, at the age of 71 following a hunting trip.
12.
Baby Ray had three children with his wife, Jane Burns Baby Ray.