Raymond Francis Krouse (March 21, 1927 – April 9, 1966) was an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wit ...

defensive lineman In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line, while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line. A numbe ...

in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ma ...

(NFL) for the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisio ...

(1951–1955), the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at For ...

(1956–1957),

Baltimore Colts The Baltimore Colts were a professional American football team that played in Baltimore from its founding in 1953 to 1984. The team now plays in Indianapolis, as the Indianapolis Colts. The team was named for Baltimore's history of horse breed ...

(1958–1959) and

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) ...

(1960). He played college football for the

University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the Flagship un ...

Early years

Krouse attended

Western High School Western High School may refer: Schools in the United States * Western High School (Anaheim, California) – Anaheim, California *Western High School (Illinois) – Barry, Illinois *Western High School (Florida) – Davie, Florida *Western High Sch ...

, before moving on to the

( Δ Φ elta Phi. During the

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

era, he served in the United States Navy reserves and was discharged as a Seaman 2nd Class. In 1992, he was posthumously inducted into the

University of Maryland Athletic Hall of Fame The University of Maryland Athletic Hall of Fame was established in 1982 by the M Club Foundation to honor student-athletes, coaches, and administrators who made significant contributions to athletics at the University of Maryland. The Hall of F ...

. The Ray Krouse Award is given to the team's most valuable player.

Professional career

New York Giants

Krouse was selected by the

in the second round (25th overall) of the

1951 NFL Draft The 1951 National Football League Draft was held January 18–19, 1951, at the Blackstone Hotel in Chicago. The Baltimore Colts folded after the 1950 season, and the NFL placed their players in the 1951 NFL draft. This was the fifth year that t ...

. The 1951 Giants defense he was part of, allowed the fewest total yards and rushing yards in the NFL for that season. 1952 was said to be his best professional year. On April 26, 1956, he was traded to the

in exchange for defensive tackle Dick Modzelewski.

Detroit Lions

He helped the

win the 1957 NFL Championship. On July 17, 1958, he was traded to the

in exchange for a third round draft choice (#36-

Ron Luciano Ronald Michael Luciano (June 28, 1937 – January 18, 1995) was an American professional baseball umpire who worked in Major League Baseball's American League from 1969 to 1979. He was known for his flamboyant style, clever aphorisms, and a serie ...

Baltimore Colts

Krouse was a part of the

1958 NFL Championship Game The 1958 NFL Championship Game was the 26th NFL championship game, played on December 28 at Yankee Stadium in New York City. It was the first NFL playoff game to be decided in sudden death overtime. The final score was Baltimore Colts 23, New ...

against the

, famously known as "The Greatest Game Ever Played". The 1958 Colts defense he was part of, allowed the fewest rushing yards in the NFL for that season. He contributed to the Colts winning back to back NFL titles in 1958 and 1959 against his old team, the Giants.

Dallas Cowboys

He was selected by 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 divis ...

in the 1960 NFL Expansion Draft. On June 23, he was traded to the

in exchange for center

Frank Kuchta Frank William Kuchta (September 18, 1936 – November 24, 2017) was an American gridiron football center and linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for the Washington Redskins. He was also among the players of the inaugural Denver Bron ...

Washington Redskins

Krouse played one season for the

Personal life

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large n ...

'' on April 10, 1966, said, "Raymond Francis Krouse, one of the finest athletes ever to come out of Washington, died yesterday at

Georgetown University Hospital MedStar Georgetown University Hospital is one of the Washington, D.C. area's oldest academic teaching hospitals. It is a not-for-profit, acute care teaching and research facility located in the Georgetown neighborhood of the Northwest Quadrant ...

of a

liver The liver is a major organ only found in vertebrates which performs many essential biological functions such as detoxification of the organism, and the synthesis of proteins and biochemicals necessary for digestion and growth. In humans, it ...

ailment." He left behind a wife, Majorie; four daughters (Karen, 14, Kimberly, 8, Carolyn, 5, and Kathy, 4 ges at the time of his burial; his mother, Mrs. Josephine Krouse; a sister, Mrs. Margaret Haney; and a brother, William (Sully) Krouse. He was buried on April 13, 1966, at

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

nearby his son, David Edward, who died in 1963, after living two days.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Krouse, Ray 1927 births 1966 deaths Players of American football from Washington, D.C. American football defensive linemen Maryland Terrapins football players New York Giants players Detroit Lions players Baltimore Colts players Washington Redskins players Eastern Conference Pro Bowl players Burials at Arlington National Cemetery United States Navy personnel of World War II United States Navy reservists United States Navy sailors