Green Bay Packers: Top 10 offensive linemen of all time
By Doug Rogalla
#8 Buford “Baby” Ray
“Baby” Ray was a 6-foot-6, 250-pound hulking lineman who played his college ball at Vanderbilt.
He 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. The Packers finally won out.
Considered too big for military service, Ray ended up shedding 25 pounds from his college playing weight, helping to improve his mobility.
“Baby” Ray spent all 11 years in the NFL with the Packers, playing 116 games mostly at left tackle.
Considered one of the most talented linemen in the NFL, he was named to the UPI All-Pro team four times and was a member of the Packers’ 1939 and 1944 NFL championship teams.
In 1969, he was named to the National Football League 1940s All-Decade Team by the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He was inducted into the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame in 1973 and into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame in 1983.
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