04/24/24
January 16, 2006
Forget Bill Parcells. What would the Cowboys do without Wilford Jones?: The local alt-weekly offers up a testament to a true fan. Crazy Ray's life is - in all likelihood - nearing it's end, but his passion for the Dallas Cowboys and his sense of humor lives on.
posted by Ufez Jones to football at 08:50 PM - 8 comments
Even though I am not a Cowboys fan,( I even lived there for 6 years uggg) I am a football fan first. My whole family are Cowboys fans and I remember seeing Crazy Ray running around on t.v on countless occasions. I hope everyone will help him out for the years of memories and laughs. Good luck to you Ray and I hope that you see that game in the new stadium.
posted by chucodimebag at 09:21 PM on January 16, 2006
Having been a life long Cowboy fan, I hope everyone who can will help out. I was glad to see Jerry Jones has quietly been helping. I had heard a few years back that the Cowboys weren't helping him out. I know he was never officially the mascot of the team, but he IS the Cowboys. So many humorous memories of him on the sidelines. Getting back to Jerry Jones. He has an opportunity to right a few wrongs, his treatment of Landry and Schramm, by putting Ray in the Ring of Honor. Maybe even writing a big check.
posted by chuck'n'duck at 09:55 PM on January 16, 2006
Maybe the players--past and present-- could chip in and help Ray out. That and the Ring of Honor. He deserves no less.
posted by roberts at 05:24 AM on January 17, 2006
Such a sad story, being from New England I had no idea who Crazy Ray was but after reading all this my heart really goes to him and his wife. I wish I could help, but my prayers are with them.
posted by ProSam at 07:42 AM on January 17, 2006
I remember Crazy Ray more from going to Fair Park as a kid...he seemed more real there than the caricature on TV during Cowboy games...always whistling and making all sorts of funny noises. He was great. I'll never forget the time we went as a family, my 8 year old stepsister in toe. We had been there at least a couple of hours and I had looked up and down the Midway for Ray but couldn't find him. We sat down at some picnic tables when I started hearing all this yelling and whistling and carrying on....it was Ray. The 3 of us kids ran over to him and he made little balloon animals for us and then put his hand inside a paper bag and started making these yelping noises, like an injured dog. He was focused on my sister now and her eyes jetted back and forth between Ray's and the paper bag. Ray was making motions towards her like the bag would bite her but he kept laughing and then would turn his back to walk away and then would leapt towards her and start playing again. This probably went on for 2-3 minutes when all of sudden Ray makes a final lunge at my sister, still barking like crazy, ripping open the end of the bag, expsoing the corn dog he had inside. My sister screamed, fell and about jumped out of her skin...scared to death! Ray picked her up and told her everything was all right but the rest of couldn't stop laughing....I fell on the ground laughing so hard, tears rolling down my cheeks...to this day that was one of the funniest tnings I've ever seen. I sure am sorry "Ray" has fallen on such hard times. I hope the ex-players, the fans of the Cowboys and any of thousands of people who have stories to tell will help this man. The world is a better place for Mr. Wilford Jones.
posted by Texan_lost_in_NY at 07:46 AM on January 17, 2006
Man what's a depressing story. I grew up in Dallas and loved seeing Ray work the games as a kid. I don't think the Cowboys should put Ray in the Ring of Honor, but a "Crazy Ray Day" at a home game next year would be a great way to celebrate the guy and give him a chance to make money on some souveniers. Ray's one of the last links to the Landry/Schramm era. If he was honored at a game, the roar when he was brought onto the field would be huge. The article's contempt for Rowdy is well-deserved.
posted by rcade at 08:22 AM on January 17, 2006
I like the Cowboys.......... Send ME some friggin money. God bless Ray......
posted by wassup at 12:08 PM on January 17, 2006
Hopefully Jerry Jones will do the right thing and enshrine Crazy Ray into the Ring of Honor before it becomes a posthumous ceremony. Wilford more than deserves it.