Tom Rafferty
| No. 64 | |||||
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| Position: | Fayetteville–Manlius (NY) | ||||
| College: | Penn State | ||||
| NFL draft: | 1976 / Round: 4 / Pick: 119 | ||||
| Career history | |||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||
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| Player stats at NFL.com · PFR | |||||
Thomas Michael Rafferty (born August 2, 1954) is a former
offensive lineman in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys. He played college football for head coach Joe Paterno at Penn State University
.
Early years
Rafferty attended
.He accepted a scholarship from
offensive lineman. In 1973, he was a part of an undefeated season (12–0). He became a starter as a junior and was named twice to the UPI's All-East team and once to the Football Writers' All-American team in 1975.[1][2]
In 1988, he was inducted into the Greater Syracuse Sports Hall of Fame.[3]
Professional career
Rafferty was selected by the
extra points, on a team that won Super Bowl XII against the Denver Broncos
.
During this period,
Pat Donovan, Jim Cooper and Herb Scott
.
Known to his teammates as "Raff", he established himself as one of the better linemen in Cowboys history with an exemplary work ethic, durability and versatility. In
offensive line that would enable the Cowboys to reach two NFC Championship Games.[4] Among his memorable moments, he and Scott teamed on the block that cleared the way for Tony Dorsett's 99-yard run against the Minnesota Vikings on Monday Night Football in 1983
.
In
center position. He announced his retirement on April 21, 1990.[5] He played in 221 total games for the Cowboys, including 167 consecutive games, which at the time was more than any other Cowboy in history. He appeared in 18 post-season games and 2 Super Bowls (XII and XIII
).
Personal life
Rafferty earned his Bachelor of Science in physical education from Penn State University in 1976, and later earned an MBA from the University of Dallas.
He lives with his wife Donna and their children Michael and Rachel in
References
- ^ "Honors begin for Dorsett: All-East". Retrieved February 21, 2016.
- ^ "One of Selmon twins named Outland winners". Retrieved February 21, 2016.
- ^ "1998 Inductees: Tom Rafferty". Greater Syracuse Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2016-02-01.
- ^ Gehman, Jim (2013-06-24). "Catching Up With Tom Rafferty". DallasCowboys.com. Retrieved 2016-02-01.
- ^ "Rafferty Retires". Retrieved February 21, 2016.
- ^ Sham, Brad (2008-07-28). "Former Center Rafferty Battling Disease". DallasCowboys.com. Retrieved 2016-02-01.