Ray Flaherty

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Ray Flaherty
Positions:
End , DE
Jersey number (s):
1
born September 1, 1903 in Spokane , Washington
died on July 19, 1994 in Coeur d'Alene , Idaho
Career information
Active : 1926 - 1935
College : Gonzaga University
Teams

player

Trainer

Career statistics
Games     88
Touchdowns     21st
Wins as a coach     122
Stats at NFL.com
Coaching stats at pro-football-reference.com
Career highlights and awards
Pro Football Hall of Fame

Raymond Paul Flaherty (* 1. September 1903 in Spokane , Washington ; † 19th July 1994 in Coeur d'Alene , Idaho ) was an American American football player and trainer. He played with the New York Giants in the National Football League (NFL) as end and defensive end and was coach of the Washington Redskins .

Player career

Ray Flaherty studied from 1923 to 1925 at Gonzaga University and played there for their football team . In 1926 he became a professional player with the Los Angeles Wildcats in the American Football League, which stopped playing after that year. Flaherty moved to the New York Yankees and was given to the New York Giants during the season . After the 1929 season, Flaherty suspended his playing career and became a coach at his old college .

In 1931 Steve Owen took over the coaching position with the Giants and Flaherty returned to the team from New York City . From 1933 Flaherty took over the office of assistant coach and became the team captain of his team. In the same year the Giants moved into the NFL championship game and lost to the Chicago Bears trained by George Halas with 21:23. In 1934 Flaherty was able to celebrate his first championship win. Again the Bears were the final opponents and this time they lost by 13:30. In 1935, the Giants moved into their third final in three years. But the Detroit Lions retained the upper hand at 26: 7. Ray Flaherty ended his playing career after this defeat.

Sammy Baugh

Coaching career

Ray Flaherty took over the post of head coach with the Boston Redskins in 1936 . In his first year as a coach, he and his team made it to the NFL final. Opponents were the Green Bay Packers trained by Curly Lambeau , who prevailed 21: 6. After that season, the Redskins moved to Washington, DC .

Ray Flaherty's name is closely related to that of Sammy Baugh . Baugh was signed by the Redskins in 1937 and was one of the first players who could be called quarterback and who managed to establish the passing game in American football permanently. Baugh and his trainer Flaherty were several outstanding players, such as Cliff Battles , Wayne Millner or Charley Malone , for the passing game of the Redskins Offense .

The Redskins won eight of eleven games in Baugh's first season, qualifying for the NFL championship game against the Chicago Bears. Baugh threw 17 passes in the final for a space gain of 335 yards . He succeeded several times in staging Wayne Millner, who was able to utilize two of Baugh's three touchdown passes to points for the Redskins and Flaherty won his first title as a coach.

Ray Flaherty was also the coach who was involved in the biggest loss of a football team in a final. In 1940, his team qualified for the NFL final and the Bears retaliated for the 1937 related defeat. Sid Luckman , quarterback for the Bears, led his team to a safe 73-0 win and Baugh contributed two interceptions to his team's defeat. The defeat left its mark. 1941 was not a good year for the Redskins, only six of eleven games were won. In 1942, the team was clearly recovered and won ten of eleven games. Opponents in the NFL championship game were again the Bears. Baugh managed a touchdown pass to the 14: 6 victory of the Flaherty-trained Washington Redskins team.

After his coaching time with the Redskins, Flaherty served in the US Navy and was coach of the New York Yankees in the newly formed All-America Football Conference after World War II . Flaherty formed a top team from the team, which however never came close to the performance of the Cleveland Browns . In 1946, the Yankees failed in the AAFC final at the Browns with 9:14. and in 1947 the Yankees were beaten 3:14 by the Browns in the final. In 1948, Flaherty was fired after three straight losses during the season. In 1949 he was hired by the Chicago Hornets as a trainer. After the AAFC had to stop playing in 1949, Flaherty also ended his coaching career and became a drinks dealer in his hometown. Ray Flaherty is buried in Saint Thomas Cemetery in Coeur d'Alene.

Honors

Ray Flaherty has been voted All-Pro five times . His shirt number 1 is no longer awarded by the New York Giants. Flaherty has been a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame since 1976 and the State of Washington Sports Hall of Fame since 1963 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. Annual statistics of the Giants 1933
  2. Annual statistics of the Giants 1934
  3. Annual statistics of the Giants 1935
  4. Annual statistics of the Redskins 1936
  5. ^ NFL final 1937 - statistics
  6. Annual statistics of the Redskins 1940
  7. NFL final 1940 statistics
  8. Annual statistics of the Redskins 1941
  9. Annual statistics of the Redskins 1942
  10. ^ NFL final 1942 statistics
  11. ^ Annual statistics of the Yankees 1946
  12. AAFC final 1946 - statistics
  13. ^ Annual statistics of the Yankees 1947
  14. ^ AAFC final 1947 - statistics
  15. Ray Flaherty's grave in the Find a Grave database