Ray Abruzzese
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| Position: | Safety | ||||||||
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| Born: | October 27, 1937 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | ||||||||
| Died: | August 22, 2011 (aged 73) Fort Lauderdale, Florida, U.S. | ||||||||
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| College: | Alabama | ||||||||
| NFL draft: | 1962 / round: 16 / pick: 219 | ||||||||
| AFL draft: | 1962 / round: 23 / pick: 180 | ||||||||
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Raymond Lewis Abruzzese Jr. (Pronounced: "AH-broot-sez") (October 27, 1937 – August 22, 2011) was an American college and professional football player.
Abruzzese was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He played football during his high school years, when he gained the nickname "The Hawk" from teammates due to his skill as a defensive back spotting and intercepting passes in flight.[1]
He played college football at the University of Alabama, and played professionally in the American Football League (AFL) for the Buffalo Bills from 1962 through 1964, when the Bills won the AFL Championship game, 20–7, over the defending AFL champion San Diego Chargers.[2] He played for the AFL's New York Jets in 1965 and 1966.[3][4]
Abruzzese died in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, aged 73.[5] He was one of at least 345 NFL players to be diagnosed after death with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), caused by repeated hits to the head.[6][7]
References
[edit]- ^ John Duxbury and Larry Shainman (eds.), Football Register, 1968. St. Louis: The Sporting News, 1968; p. 3.
- ^ "Championship - San Diego Chargers at Buffalo Bills - December 26th, 1964". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
- ^ "1965 New York Jets Rosters, Stats, Schedule, Team Draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
- ^ "1966 New York Jets Rosters, Stats, Schedule, Team Draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
- ^ "Ray Abruzzese Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft, College". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
- ^ "The driving force behind Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE)". Concussion Legacy Foundation. Archived from the original on July 2, 2023. Retrieved July 2, 2023.
- ^ Ken Belson and Benjamin Mueller (June 20, 2023). "Collective Force of Head Hits, Not Just the Number of Them, Increases Odds of C.T.E. The largest study of chronic traumatic encephalopathy to date found that the cumulative force of head hits absorbed by players in their careers is the best predictor of future brain disease". The New York Times. Retrieved July 2, 2023.
See also
[edit]
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