By 1965, Ray Schoenke thought his dream of a long career in football had ended almost before it got started.
His journey from Hawaii to Texas resulted in a shot with the Dallas Cowboys. They had chosen the SMU product in the 11th round of the 1963 draft, and he had lasted two seasons under Tom Landry. Then he got hurt and was released.
Schoenke was 24 and out of the league. He tried a comeback in 1966, bouncing from the Green Bay Packers to the Cleveland Browns without success. It looked like he'd be shifting all his attention to the insurance business. Then Washington offered him a spot on what passed for the 1966 version of today’s practice squad.
Schoenke died last week at 84. Once word was out, remembrances of a genuine fan favorite began trickling in. Then they began pouring in.
Ray Schoenke's versatility made him part of the fabric in Washington
Somehow, the delay in learning of his death seemed appropriate. Schoenke was a slow-and-steady climber. Back when Washington was finally beginning to crawl out of the league’s basement in the late 1960s, he seemed to just show up out of nowhere. But pretty soon, it was as if he had always been around.
The much-loved offensive lineman did not arrive with a splash. But his ripples ran very deep.
Actually, the splashy player who arrived in Washington in 1966 was Joe Don Looney, the mercurial and maddening running back who wore out his welcome within two years wherever he went. The team was building an exciting offense under head coach Otto Graham, and it was hoped this move would add a potent running component to the remarkable passing attack.
Washington had brought together Bobby Mitchell, Sonny Jurgensen, Charley Taylor, and Jerry Smith. They were lighting it up in the air. Of course, to continue building that offense, they also needed to upgrade the offensive line.
Center Len Hauss had arrived in 1964. Offensive tackle Jim Snowden the following year. They already had a Pro Bowl guard in Vinnie Promuto.
Schoenke would serve as a backup in 1966, then move into the starting lineup the following season. He played left guard that year. He moved to the right side in 1968 but also filled in at left tackle when starter Walt Rock was injured.
Then it was back right guard in 1969 and left guard in 1970 and 1971. Schoenke didn’t much care. He went where he was needed. And the team kept getting better.
By the time they were good enough to go to the Super Bowl in 1972, Schoenke was 31 and was back on the bench. Washington was relying on a younger left side — Terry Hermeling at tackle and Paul Laaveg at guard. He still subbed in quite often, but it appeared his career was winding down.
Then, just like back in 1965, he got another chance and took advantage. Hermeling missed the season with an injury, and Washington turned to the 33-year-old Schoenke to take over the left tackle spot. They led the conference in points that year and again made the playoffs.
The following year, Laaveg suffered multiple injuries that would put a premature end to his career. Schoenke moved back to guard. The offense kept chugging along.
That would be Schoenke’s final professional season. He was 35, a decade on from when it looked like his dreams of playing football were over. He went on to a successful career in the insurance business and became actively involved in politics.
Despite going to college in Texas and playing in a mostly conservative NFL, Schoenke protested the Vietnam War and worked on the George McGovern campaign in 1971-72. He remained involved in the Democratic Party for the rest of his life.
In 2023, Schoenke put his life story into an entertaining and informative memoir — Fat Girl Sings. The title comes from the taunts he used to endure as a darker-skinned, overweight kid in Texas, where his family lived for a few years between their time in Hawaii. He endured and overcame by doing whatever was asked of him with passion and skill.
Five years ago, when USA Today chose the top 100 players in Washington’s football history, Schoenke ranked No. 54, sandwiched roughly between the likes of Snowden, Hermeling, and Promuto, just where he had been when he transformed from the league’s worst franchise into one that could dream of Super Bowls.