View source for Ray Bray

{{Short description|American football player (1917–1996)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2024}}
{{Use American English|date=March 2023}}
{{Infobox NFL biography
| name        = Ray Bray
| image       = Ray Bray - 1951 Bowman.jpg
| caption     = Bray on a 1951 Bowman football card
| number      = 82, 63
| position    = [[Guard (gridiron football)|Guard]] <br> [[Defensive end]]
| birth_date  = {{birth date|1917|2|1|mf=y}}
| birth_place = [[Vulcan, Michigan]], U.S.
| death_date  = {{death date and age|1998|05|13|1917|02|1}}
| death_place = [[Mesa, Arizona]], U.S.
| height_ft   = 6
| height_in   = 0
| weight_lb   = 237
| high_school = [[Norway Township, Michigan|Norway-Vulcan]]
| college     = [[Western Michigan Broncos football|Western Michigan]]
| draftyear   = 1939
| draftround  = 9
| draftpick   = 76
| pastteams   = * [[Chicago Bears]] ({{NFL Year|1939|1942}}, {{NFL Year|1946|1951}})
* [[Green Bay Packers]] ({{NFL Year|1952}})
| highlights  = * 3× [[NFL Champion]] ([[1940 NFL Championship Game|1940]]-[[1941 NFL Championship Game|1941]], [[1946 NFL Championship Game|1946]])
* 2× Second-team [[All-Pro]] ([[1949 All-Pro Team|1949]]-[[1950 All-Pro Team|1950]])
* 4× [[Pro Bowl]] ([[1941 Pro Bowl|1940]]-[[1942 Pro Bowl|1941]], [[1951 Pro Bowl|1950]]-[[1952 Pro Bowl|1951]])
* [[Chicago Bears#Top 100 greatest Bears of all-time|100 greatest Bears of All-Time]]
*[[Helms Athletic Foundation]] Hall of Fame
| statlabel1  = Games played
| statvalue1  = 121
| statlabel2  = Games started
| statvalue2  = 88
| statlabel3  = [[Fumble]] recoveries
| statvalue3  = 7
| pfr         = B/BrayRa00
}}

'''Raymond Robert Bray''' (February 1, 1917 – December 26, 1993) was an American professional [[American football|football]] player who was an [[offensive guard]] and [[defensive lineman]] for 11 seasons in the [[National Football League]] (NFL).<ref>{{cite web |title=Ray Bray |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/B/BrayRa00.htm |website=Pro Football Reference |publisher=Sports Reference LLC |access-date=June 18, 2022}}</ref> He served in the [[U.S. Navy]] from 1943 to 1945.

==Biography==

Ray Bray was born February 1, 1917, in [[Caspian, Michigan]].

His football career began at [[Western State Normal School]] (now known as Western Michigan University) where he played football from 1936 to 1938. He was selected in the ninth round of the [[1939 NFL draft]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=1939 NFL Draft Listing |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/1939/draft.htm |access-date=2023-03-27 |website=Pro-Football-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref>

Bray was selected in the 9th round of the [[1939 NFL draft]] by the [[Chicago Bears]], who made him the 76th overall selection.

As a player, during the off-season he operated a used car lot on Chicago's side.<ref name=MG50>Frank A. Korch (ed.), ''The Bears 1950: Thirty-First Year.'' Chicago: Chicago Bears Football Club, 1950; p. 20.</ref>

Bray died December 26, 1993, in [[Mesa, Arizona]].

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Bears1939DraftPicks}}
{{1940 Chicago Bears}}
{{1941 Chicago Bears}}
{{1946 Chicago Bears}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bray, Ray}}
[[Category:1917 births]]
[[Category:1993 deaths]]
[[Category:Players of American football from Michigan]]
[[Category:American football defensive linemen]]
[[Category:Western Michigan Broncos football players]]
[[Category:Chicago Bears players]]
[[Category:Green Bay Packers players]]
[[Category:Western Conference Pro Bowl players]]
[[Category:People from Iron County, Michigan]]
[[Category:United States Navy personnel of World War II]]