A former Dallas Cowboys lineman who became a long-time Washington Redskins fixture — and helped the franchise reach Super Bowl VII — has died.
Ray Schoenke passed away March 8 at age 84, according to a post shared by his daughter, Page Chang. She wrote that he died from complications related to cancer treatment.
Schoenke played 12 seasons in the NFL and was considered one of the early Polynesian American players to break through at the pro level. His mother, Olivia, was Native Hawaiian, and his father was stationed in the islands with the U.S. Army.
Before the NFL, Schoenke stood out as a multi-sport athlete in high school in both Hawaii and Texas. He later played college football at SMU, where he earned First-Team All-Southwest Conference honors in 1962 and was also named an Academic All-American that same year.
Decades later, SMU continued to recognize his impact. In 1991, Schoenke was one of five offensive linemen chosen for the school’s 75th anniversary all-time Mustang football team. He also received honors tied to the SMU Letterman’s Association for former athletes’ achievements and character.
The Cowboys selected Schoenke in the 11th round of the 1963 NFL Draft. He appeared in 23 games at tackle during the franchise’s early years under legendary head coach Tom Landry (1963–64). An injury knocked him out for the 1965 season, and his 1966 campaign became a whirlwind that included stops with Green Bay and Cleveland before he ultimately landed in Washington.
Once Washington moved him to the active roster in October 1966, Schoenke found his home. He went on to play 122 games for the franchise, starting 89 of them, and became a steady presence on the offensive line across a full decade.
His most famous postseason moment came in the 1972 season, when Washington reached Super Bowl VII. They ran into the Miami Dolphins, who won the game and completed the only undefeated season in the modern NFL era.
Schoenke retired after the 1976 season and later built an insurance business that allowed him to step away early. Chang also said he was impaired by CTE later in life.
Even after football, Schoenke stayed busy. He wrote a memoir titled The Fat Girl Sings: Discovering, Embracing, and Leveraging Racial Identity on the Football Field, in Business, and in Life, and he even launched a bid for governor of Maryland.
His football legacy continued to be celebrated, too. Schoenke was selected for Washington’s “50th Anniversary Greatest Redskins Team” in 1987 and was later chosen for the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame.
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