Raymond Frederick Schoenke (born September 10, 1941) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

player who was an

offensive 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 (OL), while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line ( ...

in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL) for 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 of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...

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 of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East ...

. He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

SMU Mustangs The SMU Mustangs are the sport, athletic teams that represent Southern Methodist University in University Park, Texas, United States. SMU was founded in 1911 and joined the Southwest Conference, competing against Baylor Bears, Baylor, Rice Owls, ...

Early years

Born in Hawaii to Olivia Pualani Alapa, a full-blooded native Hawaiian and Raymond F. Schoenke, of German descent from Minnesota, who was stationed with the U.S. Army 3rd Engineering Corp, Schofield Barracks in Hawaii where he was an All-Star athlete on their baseball and basketball teams in the late 1920s and 1930s. Schoenke's family moved to Texas when he was 10–13 years then returned to Hawaii, where he attended

Punahou School Punahou School (known as Oahu College until 1934) is a private, co-educational, college preparatory school in Honolulu, Hawaii. More than 3,700 students attend the school from kindergarten through 12th grade. The school was established by P ...

in Honolulu for grades 9-11 where he received recognition in football with an All-Star Award (the equivalent of all-State since Hawaii at the time was still a Territory). For his senior year in high school his family returned to Texas where he was an All-State football player for Weatherford High School. In 2015, he was inducted into the

Polynesian Football Hall of Fame The Polynesian Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame that honors the greatest players, coaches, and contributors of Polynesian descent in the sport of American football. It was established in 2013 by former National Football League (NFL) player ...

, which honors Polynesia'a greatest football players and contributors.

College career

Schoenke accepted a football scholarship from

Southern Methodist University Southern Methodist University (SMU) is a Private university, private research university in Dallas, Texas, United States, with a satellite campus in Taos County, New Mexico. SMU was founded on April 17, 1911, by the Methodist Episcopal Church, ...

. As a sophomore, he played defensive middle guard and was named Sophomore Lineman of the Year in the

Southwest Conference The Southwest Conference (SWC) was an NCAA Division I college athletic conference in the United States that existed from 1914 to 1996. Composed primarily of schools from Texas, at various times the conference also included schools from Oklaho ...

. He also played at fullback, guard, tackle, center and linebacker, receiving All-Southwest conference honors in both his junior and senior years. He received Academic

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

honors as a senior. The University honored Schoenke by awarding the SMU "M" award - recognizing him as one of the most Distinguished Seniors to graduate in the class of 1963. Later, 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.

Professional career

Schoenke was selected by the

in the eleventh round (146th overall) of the

1963 NFL draft The 1963 NFL draft was held at the Sheraton in Chicago, Illinois, on Monday, December 3, 1962. The first overall selection was quarterback Terry Baker of Oregon State, the Heisman Trophy winner, taken by the Los Angeles Rams. The AFL draft wa ...

and by the

Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team based in Oakland, California, from its founding in 1960 to 1981, and again from 1995 to 2019 before Oakland Raiders relocation to Las Vegas, relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan ...

in the tenth round (73rd overall) of the

1963 AFL Draft The 1963 American Football League draft was held in Dallas on Saturday, December 1, 1962. The Kansas City Chiefs drafted as the Dallas Texans, as their relocation would take place a few months later. With the first overall selection, they took ...

. As a rookie he was tried at tackle, guard and center. In

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 – In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patria ...

, he started 10 games at

right tackle A tackle is a playing position in American football. Historically, in the one-platoon system prevalent in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, a tackle played on both offense and Defensive tackle, defense. In the modern system of ...

, after passing

Bob Fry Robert Moellering Fry (November 11, 1930 – November 10, 2019) was an American football offensive lineman in the National Football League (NFL) for the Los Angeles Rams and Dallas Cowboys. He played college football at the University of Kentu ...

on the depth chart. He was waived injured on August 8,

1965 Events January–February * January 14 – The First Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years. * January 20 ** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lynd ...

. In

1966 Events January * January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko. * January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo i ...

, after being out of football for a year recovering from his injury, he signed as a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

with the

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...

. On July 29, he was traded to the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...

in exchange for an undisclosed draft choice (not exercised). He was released by the Browns on September 6. He was signed by the

to their

taxi squad In gridiron football, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. They serve as extra players during the team's practices, often as part of the scout ...

and was promoted to the active roster on October 1. Schoenke became a key player on the

offensive line 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 (OL), while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line ( ...

for the next 10 years. In

1967 Events January * January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Canadian Confederation, Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair. * January 6 – Vietnam War: United States Marine Corps and Army of ...

, he was named the starter at left guard. He played in

Super Bowl VII Super Bowl VII was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Miami Dolphins and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Washington Redskins to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for ...

, losing 7-14 to the

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Dolphins compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team ...

. In

1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; ...

, he was named the starter at left tackle. On January 21,

1976 Events January * January 2 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 18 – Full diplomatic ...

, he announced his retirement to focus on his insurance company. In

1987 Events January * January 1 – Bolivia reintroduces the Boliviano currency. * January 2 – Chadian–Libyan conflict – Battle of Fada: The Military of Chad, Chadian army destroys a Libyan armoured brigade. * January 3 – Afghan leader ...

, he was selected for the "50th Anniversary Greatest Redskins Team.” In 2002, Schoenke was picked as one of the top 100 players in the history of the Redskins.

Politics

In 1998 Schoenke announced he was running for Governor of Maryland. Schoenke withdrew from the race before the primary election.

Personal life

Schoenke and his wife of 53 years, Nancy, reside in rural Montgomery County. He was nicknamed "The Mummy" for the amount of sports tape he would use, eventually neededing to go through 5 surgeries and 2 knee replacements.

References

External links

Schoenke succeeds on gridiron, in business, in community
{{DEFAULTSORT:Schoenke, Ray 1941 births Living people Players of American football from Honolulu County, Hawaii American football offensive guards American people of German descent American people of Native Hawaiian descent Native Hawaiian sportspeople Pacific Islander American players of American football SMU Mustangs football players Dallas Cowboys players Green Bay Packers players Cleveland Browns players Washington Redskins players