Gonzaga Athletic Hall of Fame
A triple-threat back and a 60-minute player for Gonzaga University teams in the late 1930’s, Ray Hare was an All-West Coast pick his senior year and was invited to participate in the East-West Shrine Game. Ray gained more than 600 yards in Gonzaga’s final six games of the 1939 season. He played six professional seasons, winning three divisional titles and the 1942 NFL title with Washington. An uncomplicated evaluation of him when he was performing in the NFL was given by the legendary Bronco Nagurski, “When Ray Hare hits you, you go down.” In a storied tryout camp scrimmage with the Washington Redskins he blocked one veteran into unconsciousness and left a couple of other stars with split lips. His brother, Cecil, played with him on the 1941 and ’42 Washington teams.
