Crazy Ray

Wilford Jones
Crazy Ray making balloon sculptures for children following a Cowboys win in 2003.
Born	January 22, 1931(1931-01-22)
Died	March 17, 2007(2007-03-17) (aged 76)

Crazy Ray (real name: Wilford Jones) (January 22, 1931-March 17, 2007) was the unofficial mascot of the Dallas Cowboys. By some accounts, he was also the team's original mascot, who attended almost every home game since the team's inception.^[1]

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.

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 soccer games and Texas Rangers baseball games. 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' unofficial mascot.^[2] In some photographed pictures, Crazy Ray and Chief Zee were seen pretending to fight with each other during games.

Ray died on March 17, 2007 from heart disease and diabetes, aged 76, in Dallas.^[3][4] He missed only three games in 46 seasons.^[1]

Honors

• Crazy Ray has a place in the Visa Hall of Fans Exhibit at the Pro Football Hall of Fame as he was selected as the fan choice for the Dallas Cowboys.^[5]

See also

• Batty Bob
• Chief Zee
• The Barrel Man
• Fireman Ed
• Hogettes

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Whitt, Richie, Still Crazy Cowboys fanatic nearing final whistle, Dallas Observer, http://www.dallasobserver.com/Issues/2006-01-12/news/whitt.html, retrieved 2007-09-27 
2. ^ Remembering Crazy Ray, http://www.cowboysplus.com/sharedcontent/VideoPlayer/videoPlayer.php?vidId=130735&catId=312, retrieved 2007-09-27 
3. ^ "NFL loses two superfans", USA Today (USA Today), 2007-03-19, http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/2007-03-18-superfans-obits_N.htm, retrieved 2010-04-30 
4. ^ 'Crazy Ray,' who sparked Cowboys fans for years, dies, ESPN.com, http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2802745, retrieved 2007-09-27 
5. ^ KOVACH, GRETEL, A Cowboys lifer, a gamer for life, The Dallas Morning News, http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/longterm/stories/DN-crazyray_30met.ART.North.Edition2.db86d00.html, retrieved 2009-09-17 

External links

• http://cbs11tv.com/topstories/local_story_076152226.html
• 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
• http://www.nfl.com/teams/story/DAL/10066845

Persondata
Name	Crazy Ray
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1931-01-22
Place of birth
Date of death	2007-03-17
Place of death