Ray Bray
- Chicago Bears (1939-1942, 1946-1951)
- Green Bay Packers (1952 )
- 4 × Pro Bowl selection (1940, 1941, 1950, 1951)
- 4 × All-Pro selection (1946, 1948, 1949, 1950)
- Upper Penninsula Sports Hall of Fame (1973 )
- WMU Athletic Hall of Fame (1975 )
- 3 × NFL Champion (1940, 1941, 1946)
Raymond Robert Bray ( born 1 February 1917 in Caspian, Michigan, † December 26 1993 in Mesa, Arizona), nicknamed " Muscles " was a US- American football player. He played in the National Football League ( NFL) for the Chicago Bears and the Green Bay Packers.
Playing career
College career
Ray Bray joined after attending the High School 1936 Western Michigan University, where he played college football, but was also active as an athlete. In his last game year he was elected to the All American. In all three years of study, he was awarded both a track and field athlete, but also as a football player from his college. Bray completed his university studies in sport in 1939 successfully.
Professional career
Raymond Bray was selected by the Chicago Bears in the ninth round to 76th place of the NFL Draft in 1939. From the coach of the Bears, George Halas but was used in the defensive line and in the offensive line. In the same year as the Bray Bears quarterback Sid Luckman committed for the protection of which Bray was responsible. With the later members in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Dan Fortmann, George Musso and Joe Stydahar, and Bulldog Turner, the team has developed into a top team.
The second professional year is not going very well for Bray. During the season he had suffered a knee injury, so he could not participate in the NFL Championship Game Bears against the Washington Redskins. The Bears won this game with 73:0. The following year, Bray had recovered from his injury, and the Bears were able to defend their title. They won the final game against the New York Giants with 37:9.
As his coach Halas had to interrupt his career after the 1942 season, Bray. He served during WWII in the U.S. Navy. For a combat mission, he did not come. Rather, he was employed as a fitness trainer and played in Jacksonville, Florida, in a military team. In 1946, Bray continued his career with the Bears and won after a 24:14 victory in NFL playoff over the New York Giants their third championship.
In the game round 1951 Ray Bray made national attention through an illegal turn. In a Angriffsspielzug his team he was initially on the sidelines. The Rams managed a pass in the Bears trap and had to be borne in term of the ball in the end zone of the team from Chicago. Bray, who was not among the eleven named players of the Bears, took advantage of a lack of attention of the referee ran onto the field and brought the opposing attacker timely basis. No one noticed the infraction of Bray during the game. But it did not help his team, although they lost the game. After the 1951 season, Bray has been delivered to the Green Bay Packers. He finished there after a game turn his career.
After the career
Ray Bray worked after his career as a car salesman at the company Cadillac. He was married and had three children.
Honors
Bray played four times in the Pro Bowl, was elected four times to the All- Pro and is a member of the Upper Penninsula Sports Hall of Fame and in the Hall of Fame of his colleges.