The NFL’s biggest Cat makes the Hall

By Darrell Laurant  |   Wednesday, February 08, 2006  |  Comments( 0 )

Dallas Cowboys
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The nickname from Rayfield Wright's NFL playing days goes a long way toward explaining his selection to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. They called him "Big Cat."

Normally, we don't think of offensive linemen as cats. They're moose, or buffalo, or some other big and strong but not terribly agile creature. In this era of 350-pounders, it's hard not to miss the overlapping bellies on many of those who pull guard duty.

Wright was different. He was such a good basketball player at Fort Valley (GA) State that the Cincinnati Royals of the NBA wanted to sign him. When he first came to the Dallas Cowboys, it was as a 6-5, 255-pound tight end. Later, the Cowboys tried him at defensive end before finally installing him along the offensive line in 1969, when longtime Cowboy star Ralph Neely went down with an injury.

According to the Hall of Fame Website, Wright's first opponent as an O-lineman was the Los Angeles Rams' fearsome DE Deacon Jones.

"Deacon is big and strong and mean," an assistant coach cautioned Wright before the game. The Big Cat supposedly replied: "Well, so am I."

And it showed. Wright's 12-year career corresponded with the glory days of the Dallas franchise. He played in five Super Bowls and came away with a ring from two. The Cowboys led the NFL in rushing five of the years Wright played tackle, and he was a six-time Pro Bowl pick and a four-time All-NFL selection.

"Deacon Jones will tell you," said Roger Staubach, one of the beneficiaries of Wright's protection, "that Rayfield was the best tackle he ever played against."

Nevertheless, offensive linemen don't usually come with press agents, and Wright had to wait awhile to receive the ultimate honor. He was a finalist for the Hall in 2004, only to be shut out.

The timing couldn't have been better for Wright, who recently published an autobiography titled "Wright Upfront." Among other things, it describes how hard he had to work to make an impression on the Dallas coaches coming out of a small school.

What it doesn't describe, Wright said, is any of the off-field shenanigans for which the Dallas Cowboys became infamous.

"The only white, powdery substance you'll read about in this book," Wright said, "are the chalk lines on the playing field."

And between those lines, he was -- and will always remain -- the Big Cat. In Dallas and in Canton.
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