Ray Michael Snell (February 24, 1958 – September 28, 2021) was an American professional football player who was a guard in the National Football League (NFL) for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Pittsburgh Steelers and the Detroit Lions. Tampa Bay, using their 4th ever first round draft pick, acquired Snell with the 22nd pick in the first round of the 1980 NFL Draft.[1] After four seasons in Tampa Bay in which he started 46 of 64 games he was traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Once in Pittsburgh he immediately started 13 games. In 1986, he suffered a blow out fracture to the right eye, in which a bone was lodged behind it. He was then traded to the Detroit Lions where he retired. During 1981, he and George Yarno alternated plays bringing in the offensive play call for Doug Williams.[2]

Ray Snell
No. 72, 61
Position:Guard
Personal information
Born:(1958-02-24)February 24, 1958
Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
Died:September 28, 2021(2021-09-28) (aged 63)
Tampa, Florida, U.S.
Height:6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight:262 lb (119 kg)
Career information
High school:Northwestern
(Baltimore, Maryland)
College:Wisconsin
NFL draft:1980 / Round: 1 / Pick: 22
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Games played:65
Games started:42
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

Ray Snell died of cancer in Tampa on September 28, 2021, at the age of 63.[3]

References edit

  1. ^ "1980 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
  2. ^ "index". index. January 12, 2003. Retrieved January 15, 2024.
  3. ^ Knight, Joey (September 28, 2021). "Former Bucs guard Ray Snell, team's first-round pick in 1980, dies of cancer". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved October 3, 2021.