Rayfield Wright, Hall of Famer and Dallas Cowboys legend, dies at 76

Rayfield Wright, the Pro Football Hall of Fame offensive tackle nicknamed «Big Cat» who went to five Super Bowls in his 13 NFL seasons with the Dallas Cowboys, died Thursday. He was 76.

Wright's family confirmed his death Thursday to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, which said Wright had been hospitalized for several days following a severe seizure. The Cowboys also confirmed the death.

A big player for his era at 6-foot-6 and over 250 pounds, Wright had already been a backup tight end for a couple of seasons when coach Tom Landry asked him about playing tackle. A surprised Wright said he had never played tackle in his life, but Landry told him he would make a good one.

Wright first started at tackle in a 1969 game lined up against Deacon Jones, the most dominant pass rusher of that era. Wright held his own and settled in as the full-time starter at right tackle in 1970, when Dallas made its first Super Bowl. The Cowboys then won their first Super Bowl title in 1971, the first of six consecutive seasons Wright was a Pro Bowler. He was a three-time All-Pro.

«He was absolutely the best,» Hall of Fame quarterback Roger Staubach said before Wright's hall induction in 2006. «Rayfield was a big, strong guy that was able to transfer his size and strength from tight end to tackle. He also had such quick feet that he was able to deal with some of the faster defensive ends and even the linebacker blitzes. If he got beat, I don't remember it.»

His «Big Cat» nickname was because of being so nimble for his size.

Dallas won another Super Bowl in 1977, but Wright played only two games that season because of knee surgery. He had played in 95 of the team's 98 regular-season games, starting 94 of them, the previous seven seasons.

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