Ray Mansfield

Infobox NFLretired
position =Center
number =56
birthdate =birth date|1941|1|21
Bakersfield, California
deathdate =death date and age|1996|11|3|1941|1|21
Grand Canyon, Arizona
debutyear =1963
finalyear =1976
draftyear =1963
draftround =2
draftpick =18
college =Washington
teams =
* Philadelphia Eagles (1963)
* Pittsburgh Steelers (1964 - 1976)
nfl =
highlights =
* x Pro Bowl selection
* 2x Super Bowl champion (IX, X)

Burt James Ray Mansfield (January 21, 1941 -November 3, 1996) was an American football center in the NFL for the Philadelphia Eagles and Pittsburgh Steelers.

Mansfield grew up in Kennewick, Washington and attended Kennewick High School. He played college football at the University of Washington from 1960 to 1962. In 1961 he was a member of the Huskies team that won the Rose Bowl 17-7 against the University of Minnesota. In 1962 he participated in the East-West Shrine Game. He is a member of the UW Athletic Hall of Fame. He was drafted in the 1963 NFL Draft by the Eagles and played for them for one season.

Mansfield moved to the Steelers in 1964 and was their starting center through the 1976 season. He was a member of the Steelers' Super Bowl-winning teams in 1974 and 1975. In his last season as a Steeler, he kicked the extra point on the Steelers' final touchdown in a playoff game after Roy Gerela pulled a groin muscle.

Mansfield went on to a successful career as an insurance broker. He died from a heart attack in November 1996 while hiking in the Grand Canyon.

External links

* [http://www.databasefootball.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=MANSFRAY01 Statistics at databasefootball.com]
* [http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/specialreports/10year/s_105329.html "Souls who enriched our lives, our region", Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Dec. 1, 2002, accessed 12/07/2006]
* [http://www.kaibab.org/misc/gc_rm.htm "Grand Canyon claims the life of Ray Mansfield"]