View source for Jimmy Raye II

{{Short description|American football player and coach (born 1946)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2024}}
{{Infobox NFL biography
| name                = Jimmy Raye II
| image               = Jimmy Raye II at 49ers training camp 2010-08-09 3.JPG
| image_size          = 
| alt                 = Candid waist-up photograph of Raye from the side standing on a football field, wearing a red and black pullover, a wide-brimmed hat bearing a Reebok logo and sunglasses
| caption             = Raye at 49ers training camp in August 2010
| number              = 30
| position            = [[Cornerback]] 
| birth_date          = {{Birth date and age|1946|3|26|mf=y}}
| birth_place         = [[Fayetteville, North Carolina]], U.S.
| death_date          = 
| death_place         = 
| height_ft           = 6
| height_in           = 0
| weight_lbs          = 185
| high_school         = [[E. E. Smith High School|E. E. Smith]]<br>(Fayetteville, North Carolina)
| college             = [[Michigan State Spartans football|Michigan State]]
| draftyear           = 1968
| draftround          = 16
| draftpick           = 431 
| pastteams           = 
* [[Los Angeles Rams]] ({{nfly|1968}})
* [[Philadelphia Eagles]] ({{nfly|1969}})
| pastcoaching        = 
* [[Michigan State Spartans football|Michigan State]] (1971–1975)<br>Assistant coach
* [[Wyoming Cowboys football|Wyoming]] (1976)<br>Assistant coach
* [[Texas Longhorns football|Texas]] (1977)<br>Assistant coach
* [[San Francisco 49ers]] ({{nfly|1977}})<br>Wide receivers coach
* [[Detroit Lions]] ({{nfly|1978}}–{{nfly|1979}})<br>Running backs coach
* [[Atlanta Falcons]] ({{nfly|1980}}–{{nfly|1982}})<br>Wide receivers coach
* [[Los Angeles Rams]] ({{nfly|1983}}–{{nfly|1984}})<br>Offensive coordinator
* [[Tampa Bay Buccaneers]] ({{nfly|1985}}–{{nfly|1986}})<br>Offensive coordinator
* [[Atlanta Falcons]] ({{nfly|1987}}–{{nfly|1989}})<br>Wide receivers coach
* [[New England Patriots]] ({{nfly|1990}})<br>Offensive coordinator
* [[Los Angeles Rams]] ({{nfly|1991}})<br>Wide receivers coach
* [[Kansas City Chiefs]] ({{nfly|1992}}–{{nfly|2000}})<br>Offensive coordinator, running backs coach,<br>tight ends coach
* [[Washington Redskins]] ({{nfly|2001}})<br>Offensive coordinator
* [[New York Jets]] ({{nfly|2002}}–{{nfly|2003}})<br>Senior offensive assistant
* [[Oakland Raiders]] ({{nfly|2004}}–{{nfly|2005}})<br>Offensive coordinator
* [[New York Jets]] ({{nfly|2006}}–{{nfly|2008}})<br>Running backs coach
* [[San Francisco 49ers]] ({{nfly|2009}}–{{nfly|2010}})<br>Offensive coordinator
* [[Tampa Bay Buccaneers]] ({{nfly|2012}}–{{nfly|2013}})<br>Senior offensive assistant
|highlights =
* Second-team [[List of All-Big Ten Conference football teams|All-Big Ten]] ([[1966 All-Big Ten Conference football team|1966]])
| pfr                 = RayeJi20
| pfrcoach            = RayeJi0
}}

'''James Arthur Raye Jr.''' (born March 26, 1946) is an [[American football]] coach and former player.

==Playing career==
Raye attended the segregated [[E. E. Smith High School]] in [[Fayetteville, North Carolina]].

In college, as a [[quarterback]], Raye was the backup for the [[1965 Michigan State Spartans football team|Michigan State Spartans football team]] that played in the [[1966 Rose Bowl]], and he started for the [[1966 Michigan State Spartans football team|1966 Spartans]] in the famous [[1966 Notre Dame vs. Michigan State football game|10–10 tie with Notre Dame]], a game often referred to as "The Game of the Century." He was the South's first black quarterback to win a national title, on the 1966 Michigan State team. (The first black quarterback to win a national title was [[1960 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team|Minnesota]]'s [[Sandy Stephens]], from [[Uniontown, Pennsylvania]], in 1960.) Raye and College Football Hall of Famers [[Bubba Smith]] (from Texas), [[George Webster (American football)|George Webster]] (South Carolina) and [[Gene Washington (American football, born 1944)|Gene Washington]] (Texas) arrived at Michigan State from the segregated South as part of head coach [[Duffy Daugherty]]'s Underground Railroad.

Raye was drafted by the [[Los Angeles Rams]] for the position of [[cornerback]] but was quickly traded to the [[Philadelphia Eagles]].

==Coaching career==
Raye began his coaching career in 1971 at his alma mater, Michigan State, where he stayed for five years (1971–75).  He served a brief stint at [[Wyoming Cowboys football|Wyoming]] in 1976 and [[Texas Longhorns football|Texas]] in 1977 before moving to the NFL ranks in 1977.

He coached in the NFL for a total of 36 years with 10 different teams, serving as [[offensive coordinator]] for 13 seasons: 1983–84 with the [[Los Angeles Rams]], 1985–86 with the [[Tampa Bay Buccaneers]], 1990 with the [[New England Patriots]], 1998–2000 with the [[Kansas City Chiefs]], 2001 with the [[Washington Redskins]], 2004–05 with the [[Oakland Raiders]] (where he was also assistant head coach), and 2009–10 with the [[San Francisco 49ers]].

Following the [[2009 San Francisco 49ers season|2009 49ers season]], Raye was praised for his ability to adapt the offense after key players were injured, and he continued as the 49ers' offensive coordinator to start the 2010 season. This was the first time in seven years that the 49ers had an offensive coordinator return to the team for consecutive seasons.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.49ers.com/team/coaches/jimmy-raye/f824a6d0-35b5-4a7e-b4a1-e9d1766e8485 |title=San Francisco 49ers: Jimmy Raye |access-date=2010-08-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090809181807/http://www.49ers.com/team/coaches/jimmy-raye/f824a6d0-35b5-4a7e-b4a1-e9d1766e8485 |archive-date=2009-08-09 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://blogs.nfl.com/2009/01/28/49ers-hire-raye-as-new-offensive-coordinator/|title = NFL News &#124; Latest NFL Football News}}</ref>  But Raye was fired after the 49ers lost their first three games of 2010.<ref name="MaioccoRayeFired">{{cite web | url=http://www.csnbayarea.com/09/27/10/Report-49ers-Fire-Jimmy-Raye/landing.html?blockID=319139&feedID=2478 | title=49ers Fire Offensive Coordinator Jimmy Raye | author=Matt Maiocco | author-link=Matt Maiocco | publisher=[[CSN Bay Area]] | access-date=2010-09-27 }}{{dead link|date=November 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

In 1998 he founded the [[Jimmy Raye Youth Foundation]] for underprivileged youngsters.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nfl.info/nflmedia/news/2002news/Jets%20-%20Raye%20release.htm |access-date=15 June 2024|title=Jets Tab Jimmy Raye As Senior Offensive Assistant}}</ref>

==Personal life==
His son, [[Jimmy Raye III]], is currently the senior executive advisor to the GM for the [[Cleveland Browns]].

==References==
{{commons category}}
{{Reflist}}

{{Michigan State Spartans quarterback navbox}}
{{1965 Michigan State Spartans football navbox}}
{{1966 Michigan State Spartans football navbox}}
{{Los Angeles Rams 1968 draft navbox}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Raye, Jimmy}}
[[Category:1946 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:American football cornerbacks]]
[[Category:American football quarterbacks]]
[[Category:Detroit Lions coaches]]
[[Category:Kansas City Chiefs coaches]]
[[Category:Los Angeles Rams coaches]]
[[Category:Los Angeles Rams players]]
[[Category:Michigan State Spartans football coaches]]
[[Category:Michigan State Spartans football players]]
[[Category:NFL offensive coordinators]]
[[Category:New England Patriots coaches]]
[[Category:New York Jets coaches]]
[[Category:Oakland Raiders coaches]]
[[Category:Philadelphia Eagles players]]
[[Category:San Francisco 49ers coaches]]
[[Category:Tampa Bay Buccaneers coaches]]
[[Category:Washington Redskins coaches]]
[[Category:Wyoming Cowboys football coaches]]
[[Category:Players of American football from Fayetteville, North Carolina]]
[[Category:African-American coaches of American football]]
[[Category:21st-century African-American sportsmen]]
[[Category:20th-century African-American sportsmen]]