Ray Flaherty

Player

Los Angeles Wildcats (1926 )
New York Yankees (1927, 1928)
New York Giants (1928, 1929, 1931-1935 )

Coach

Boston / Washington Redskins (1936-1942)
New York Yankees (1946-1948)
Chicago Hornets (1949 )

5x All-Pro selection ( 1928, 1929, 1932-1934 )
Back number 1 at the Giants locked
3x NFL champion (1934, 1937, 1942)
Pro Football Hall of Fame (1976 )
State of Washington Sports Hall of Fame (1963 )

Raymond Paul Flaherty ( born September 1, 1903 in Spokane, Washington, USA, † July 19, 1994 in Coeur d' Alene, Idaho ) was a U.S. American football player and coach. He has played with the New York Giants in the National Football League ( NFL) as an end and defensive end and was coach of the Washington Redskins.

Playing career

Ray Flaherty studied from 1923 to 1925 at the Gonzaga University, where he played for their football team. In 1926 he became a professional player in the Los Angeles Wildcats in the American Football League, the game stopped working again after this game year. Flaherty joined the New York Yankees and was delivered to the New York Giants during the season. After the 1929 season Flaherty interrupted his playing career and became a coach at his old college.

In 1931, Steve Owen took over as coach at the Giants and Flaherty returned to the team from New York City. In 1933 Flaherty took the post of assistant coach and was captain of his team. In the same year the Giants moved to the NFL championship game and lost to team, coached by George Halas Chicago Bears with 23:21. 1934 Flaherty then won his first championship win. Again were the Bears playoff opponents and this time they lost with 30:13. 1935 attracted the Giants in their third final in three years. The Detroit Lions 26-7 but retained the upper hand. Ray Flaherty finished after this defeat his playing career.

Coaching career

Ray Flaherty took over in 1936 the office of a Head coach for the Boston Redskins. In his first Coach of the Year, he and his team in the NFL playoff. Opponents were coached by Curly Lambeau Green Bay Packers, who could prevail with 21:6. After this season, the Redskins moved to Washington, DC order.

The name of Ray Flaherty is closely connected with the name of Sammy Baugh. Baugh was committed by the Redskins in 1937 and was one of the first players who could be called a quarterback and who succeeded in the passing game in American football permanently establish. Baugh and his coach Flaherty stood for the passing game the Redskins Offense several outstanding players like Cliff Battles, Wayne Millner or Charley Malone available.

The Redskins won in the first season of Baugh eight of eleven games and failed to qualify therefore for the NFL championship game against the Chicago Bears. Baugh threw in the final 17 passes for a room gain of 335 yards. Multiple succeeded Wayne Millner set the scene who could use two of the three touchdown passes from Baugh to points for the Redskins and Flaherty thus won his first title as a coach him.

Ray Flaherty, however, was also the coach, who was involved in the worst defeat of a football team in a playoff. In 1940, his team failed to qualify for the NFL playoff and the Bears got their revenge for the 1937 defeat -related. Sid Luckman, the Bears quarterback, led his team to an unchallenged victory 73:0 and Baugh contributed two interceptions in the defeat of his team. The defeat left its mark. 1941 was not a good year for the Redskins, only six out of eleven games were won. In 1942, the team showed clearly recovered and won ten of eleven games. Opponents in the NFL championship game was again the Bears. Baugh scored a touchdown pass to 14:6 victory of the trained team of Flaherty of the Washington Redskins.

After his time with the Redskins coach Flaherty served in the U.S. Navy and was named after the World War II coach of the New York Yankees in the newly formed All-America Football Conference. Flaherty formed out of the team, a top team, but which never came up at the benefits of the Cleveland Browns. 1946 failed the Yankees in the AAFC - final at the Browns with 14:9. the Yankees had beaten the Browns in the final with 14:3 and also in 1947. In 1948, Flaherty was released in the course of the season after three losses in a row. In 1949 he was hired by the Chicago Hornets as a coach. After the AAFC in 1949 had to suspend their gaming operations, also finished Flaherty his coaching career and was beverage shop in his hometown. Ray Flaherty is buried in the Saint Thomas Cemetery in Coeur d' Alene.

Honors

Ray Flaherty was five times elected to the All- Pro. His shirt number 1 is no longer awarded by the New York Giants. Flaherty is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and since 1963 in State of Washington Sports Hall of Fame since 1976.

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