Dallas Cowboys legend, NFL Hall of Famer dead at 76

The Dallas Cowboys franchise is mourning the passing of a beloved legend on Thursday evening, Hall of Famer Rayfield Wright. He was a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s 2006 class. Wright had recently been hospitalized for several days following a seizure. He was 76 years old.

“Over the past few weeks, it has become abundantly clear the love that so many Hall of Famers and others around the NFL felt toward Rayfield, his wife, Di, and the extended Wright family,” Hall of Fame President Jim Porter said in an article on the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s website. “His gentle nature away from the game belied his commanding presence on the field. All fans, especially those of the Cowboys, will remember fondly his dominance on the offensive line in the 1970s and how he took protecting Dallas quarterbacks as his personal mission.”

The Hall of Fame flag will fly at half-staff throughout his funeral services next Friday as a tribute to the lives he touched.

Wright’s NFL career started when he was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the seventh round of the 1967 AFL-NFL Draft. Few people gave him a chance to make the roster, but the former Fort Valley (Georgia) State All-American demonstrated enough signs of determination and athleticism to the Cowboys’ coaching staff that they knew they had to find a way to work him into the lineup. While he was drafted as a tight end originally, he’d eventually become a legend along the offensive line.

Rayfield Wright truly loved blocking during his days with the Dallas Cowboys

Nicknamed, “Big Cat” for his nimble feet, Wright eventually became the starting right tackle for the Cowboys after his impressive performance against a future Hall-of-Fame defensive end for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Deacon Jones. He was named first or second team All-NFL six consecutive times from 1971-1976. Wright was also named to the Pro Bowl in each of those seasons. When his 13-year NFL career was finished, “Big Cat” also had five Super Bowl appearances under his belt with the Dallas Cowboys, winning two of those.

In his Hall of Fame bio, there’s an excellent quote from Wright about how much he loved blocking. It reads: “I love blocking, love the contact. There’s a lot of satisfaction in knowing that you’re moving your man out of there. Biggest of all is to put my man on the ground — I’m on top of him and the ball carrier is 10-15 yards downfield. That’s satisfaction.” He’ll be forever remembered as a legend of the Dallas Cowboys franchise. Wright is also a member of the Cowboys ring of honor.