Ray Schoenke, a lineman for the Dallas Cowboys and Washington Redskins who played 12 seasons in the NFL, died on March 8. He was 84.
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Schoenke’s daughter, Page Chang, wrote on social media that Schoenke died “from complications surrounding cancer treatment.”
Schoenke was among the first Polynesian Americans to reach the NFL when he was chosen in the 11th round of the 1963 NFL Draft by the Cowboys. His mother, Olivia, was a native Hawaiian. His father, Raymond, was stationed in the territory with the U.S. Army.
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Schoenke was a multi-sport athlete in high school in Hawaii and Texas. In college at SMU, he earned First-Team All-Southwest Conference recognition in 1962 and was also named an Academic All-American the same year. In 1991, Schoenke was one of five offensive linemen selected to the 75th anniversary all-time Mustang football team.
Schoenke was also named to SMU’s 75th Anniversary All Time Football Team and received the Silver Anniversary Mustang Award from the SMU Letterman’s Association, which honors the character and achievements of former athletes.
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With the Cowboys, Schoenke played 23 games at tackle for head coach Tom Landry in the franchise’s first two years (1963-64). An injury sidelined Schoenke for the 1965 season, and he bounced around the league in 1966, from Green Bay to Cleveland to Washington.
When Schoenke was promoted to the Redskin’s active roster in October 1966, it marked the beginning of a prolific 10-year career with the franchise that saw him become a fixture on the offensive line.
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Schoenke played 122 games with Washington, starting 89, and helping them reach Super Bowl VII in 1973. The Miami Dolphins won the game, completing the only undefeated season in modern NFL history.
In 1976, Schoenke retired as a player and started an insurance business that ultimately allowed him to retire early. According to Chang, he was impaired by CTE late in his life.
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Schoenke still found time to write a memoir, “The Fat Girl Sings: Discovering, Embracing, and Leveraging Racial Identity on the Football Field, in Business, and in Life” and mount a bid for the Maryland Governor’s office.
In 1987, Schoenke was selected for the “50th Anniversary Greatest Redskins Team.” He was also chosen to the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame.
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