Wilford Jones (January 22, 1931 – March 17, 2007), better known as Crazy Ray, was the unofficial

mascot A mascot is any human, animal, or object thought to bring luck, or anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name. Mascots are also used as fi ...

of the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisi ...

. By some accounts, he was also the team's original mascot, who attended almost every home game since the team's inception.

History

He started selling pennants at games in 1962 and quickly endeared himself to the Cowboys fans with his western outfits, magic tricks, trademark whistle, and galloping along with a

hobby horse The term "hobby horse" is used, principally by folklorists, to refer to the costumed characters that feature in some traditional seasonal customs, processions and similar observances around the world. They are particularly associated with May Da ...

. He was never officially employed by the Cowboys, but was given a Special Parking Pass and All-access for home games. He was also known as the "Whistling Vendor" at

Dallas Tornado The Dallas Tornado was a soccer team based in Dallas, Texas that played in the North American Soccer League (NASL) from 1967 to 1981. Of the twelve teams that comprised the U.S. in 1967, the Tornado franchise played the longest–15 seasons. ...

soccer games, Texas Rangers baseball games, and at the

Dallas Black Hawks The Dallas Black Hawks were a minor-league professional ice hockey team in Dallas, in the U.S. state of Texas. It was a member of the Central Hockey League and played home games at State Fair Coliseum. Origins and relocation to Dallas The Blac ...

minor-league professional ice hockey team at State Fair Coliseum. He could be seen at the State Fair of Texas and various concerts entertaining the public. Crazy Ray also had a special friendship with rival Zema Williams (i.e. * Chief Zee), the

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...

' unofficial mascot. In some photographs, Crazy Ray and Chief Zee were seen pretending to fight with each other during games. Ray died on March 17, 2007 from

heart disease Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a class of diseases that involve the heart or blood vessels. CVD includes coronary artery diseases (CAD) such as angina and myocardial infarction (commonly known as a heart attack). Other CVDs include stroke, hea ...

and

diabetes Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ap ...

, aged 76, in

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

. He missed only three games in 46 seasons.

Honors

*Crazy Ray has a place in the Visa Hall of Fans Exhibit at the

Pro Football Hall of Fame The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame for professional American football, located in Canton, Ohio. Opened on September 7, , the Hall of Fame enshrines exceptional figures in the sport of professional football, including players, coach ...

as he was selected as the fan choice for the Dallas Cowboys.

References

External links

* https://web.archive.org/web/20070927120948/http://cbs11tv.com/topstories/local_story_076152226.html * https://web.archive.org/web/20061011084640/http://www.dallasobserver.com/Issues/2006-01-12/news/whitt.html * http://www.savecrazyray.com/ *http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/091406dnmetcrazyray.8fb291f.html * https://web.archive.org/web/20070323033730/http://www.nfl.com/teams/story/DAL/10066845 {{DEFAULTSORT:Crazy Ray 1931 births 2007 deaths Dallas Cowboys Deaths from diabetes National Football League mascots Spectators of American football People from Dallas Place of birth missing

History

Honors

See also

References

External links