Former Cowboys Pro Bowl offensive tackle Rayfield Wright dies at 76

Former Dallas Cowboys offensive tackle Rayfield Wright passed away at the age of 76 on Thursday according to ESPN. Nicknamed the “Big Cat”, Wright played 13 seasons for the Cowboys in the National Football League from 1967 to 1979.

While playing mostly right tackle, Wright played 166 games for Dallas, of which he started 114 games. He was selected to the Pro Bowl for six straight seasons from 1971 to 1976.

From an offensive perspective, Wright had two catches for 27 yards and one touchdown in his NFL career. On October 13, 1968, Wright had a 15-yard touchdown catch from Cowboys quarterback Don Meredith in a 34-14 Dallas win over the Philadelphia Eagles. Then on November 27, 1969, Wright had a 12 yard catch in a 24-24 Cowboys tie with the San Francisco 49ers. The Cowboys/49ers game was one of five ties during National Football League play in 1969.

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A three-time First Team All-Pro (1971, 1972, 1973), Wright won two Super Bowls with the Cowboys. He was part of the Cowboys team that beat the Miami Dolphins 24-3 in Super Bowl VI, and the Denver Broncos 27-10 in Super Bowl XII.

A native of Griffin, Georgia, Wright played his college football at Fort Valley State. He was the Cowboys’ seventh round pick, 182nd overall, in the 1967 NFL Draft.

Wright is one of two people associated with the Cowboys in the last week to pass away. On Sunday, former Cowboys running back coach Gary Brown died of cancer at age 52. Also this past week, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Dwayne Haskins died at the age of 24 after being hit by a dump truck while crossing a highway as a pedestrian in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

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