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Steelers Room - Ray
Mansfield Tribute
Our house, WA
Most people know that we're huge Steelers fans and
if you don't like football you might as well not
even stop by on Sundays during the season.
Jen is related to Ray Mansfield who
was a thirteen year starting Center with the
Pittsburgh Steelers from 1964-1976. Mansfield was a second-round draft
choice out of Washington by the Philadelphia Eagles
in 1962, but former Steelers coach Buddy Parker was
able to purchase his contract for $100 after the
1963 season.
Ray
turned out to be quite the deal in that he played
182 consecutive games which was then a club record.
Ray
actually never missed a game in high school,
college, or with the Steelers which makes him one of
the toughest and most reliable football players
ever. His last two years with the Steelers
earned him two championship
rings for the 1975 and 1976 Super
Bowls.
Over the years Jen
has collected quite a bit of Ray and Steelers
memorabilia so we needed somewhere to properly
display it. Our spare bedroom turned out to be
the perfect place.
The
football in the display case was signed by Ray for
Jen's Dad's 16th birthday and the other
memorabilia are various Ray and Steelers items that
have been given to Jen by friends and family.
Tragically, Ray passed away while hiking in the
Grand Canyon in 1996 at the age of 55.
Ray had
been hiking with his son and another companion when
problems with an ankle caused him to begin to fall
behind them. He told the others to go on ahead and
that he would catch up with them later that evening
at the campsite.
He never showed up. His body was
found the following morning sitting with his back
against a big rock, cigar in hand, facing a
magnificent vista where the sun would have set the
previous evening. |
