Flaherty the Player
Flaherty's playing career started in the early days of professional football, a time of barnstorming teams and fledgling leagues. As a two-way end for Gonzaga University, under legendary coach Gus Dorias, he displayed a unique blend of power and agility, earning All-West Coast honors. Ray's tenure at the school included the legendary undefeated 1924 season for the Zags. A teammate of Flaherty's at Gonzaga was Houston Stockton, the grandfather of NBA legend John Stockton.
Ray then took his talents to the professional ranks, playing for the Los Angeles Wildcats and Red Grange's New York Yankees and finally finding his way onto the New York Football Giants roster. He was known for his toughness, intelligence, and versatility, often contributing on both sides of the ball.
The Wildcats were an LA team by name only but had a roster of many former Pacific Coast gridiron stalwarts, including Ray. They were an original American Football League team that never played a home game and tried to capitalize on the name recognition and draw of George Wildcat Wilson. As a member of these road warriors in the team's only season of 1926, Flaherty ended with a post-season barnstorming tour through the South against their AFL rival, the New York Yankees. The Yankees and their owner, C.C. Pyle, recognized the talent of young Flaherty and signed him on to the squad for the 1927 season, where the NFL awarded them a franchise as the first AFL folded. Ray played a couple of seasons in the Big Apple with the Yankees. Just after the 1928 season, this Yankees franchise shuttered its doors, and the now displaced Flaherty inked a contract with the crosstown rival Giants.
As a Giant in 1929, Flaherty immediately impacted the team. The two-way end caught eight touchdown passes and was second in points scored for Giants players that season behind only Fullback Tony Plansky and just ahead of offensive juggernauts Benny Friedman and Hap Moran. To say Ray Flaherty was significant to the '29 Giants, who secured a second-place record at 13-1-1, maybe an understatement. Ray finished his NFL career with 20 TD receptions, three All-Pro seasons, and one NFL Championship with the Giants in 1934. Ray played an instrumental part in this famous '34 Title game when he suggested that Giants players might better navigate footing on the icy Polo Grounds surface if they wore sneakers. This prompted head Steve Coach Steve Owen to borrow some tennis shoes from nearby Manhattan College to gain an advantage for New York in the contest. The suggestion of Flaherty was an overwhelming success as the Giants maintained better traction than the undefeated and heavily favored Chicago Bears, resulting in a 30-13 upset by the Giants.
Interestingly, Owen's friend, Abe Cohen, returned the sneakers to Manhattan College after the NFL game so the basketball team could practice the next day. One can only imagine the condition of the sneakers when the Manhattan players went to put them on for practice. Ray Flaherty's adept talent for finding an advantage led to the famous Sneaker game and foreshadowed the future coaches' talent as leading men.
However, Flaherty's true calling was coaching. In 1930, he returned to his alma mater, Gonzaga, to be head coach for a season. This early foray into coaching foreshadowed the success that awaited him in the professional ranks.
A tremendous athlete, Flaherty even experimented with his baseball talents in 1930, playing a season of minor league ball as a second baseman with the Providence Grays of the Eastern League.
After skipping the 1930 season with these ventures, Ray returned to the NFL and the Giants in 1931 to extend his playing career. Flaherty was a player-coach for the Giants beginning in 1933—he was the first assistant coach on Steve Owen's staff and served as the Giants captain those seasons.
Historian Larry Schmitt tells us that Ray wore three different numbers with New York: #44 in 1929, #6 in 1931, and #1 from 1932-1935.
The Giants gave him #1 after Benny Friedman left for Brooklyn, and the #1 was retired in his honor in 1935. Flaherty is the first American professional athlete to have his jersey number retired. Ace Baily of the Toronto Maple Leafs was the first pro athlete to have his number retired in 1934.
As a Coach Flaherty Finds His True Calling
In 1936, the Boston Redskins ( who a year later became the Washington Redskins) appointed Flaherty as head coach. This was a pivotal moment for both the team and the young coach. Flaherty immediately instilled discipline and a winning mentality, leading the Redskins to a division title in his first season. His coaching philosophy emphasized innovation and a balanced attack. He's credited with inventing the screen pass, a play that revolutionized offensive strategy and continues to be a staple in football today.
Flaherty's tenure with the Redskins was a golden age. He led them to four division titles and two NFL championships (1937 and 1942). His teams were known for their toughness, offensive creativity, and relentless pursuit of victory. He was a master motivator, adept at getting the best out of his players, including future Hall of Famers like Sammy Baugh.
Following his service in World War II, Flaherty continued coaching in the newly formed All-America Conference. Though he didn't achieve the same level of success as with the Redskins, his overall coaching record remains impressive: 80 wins, 37 losses, and five ties. This translates to a .676 winning percentage, a testament to his coaching acumen.
Ray Flaherty's legacy extends beyond wins and championships. He was a bridge between the early days of professional football and the modern era. He was a player who understood the game from every angle and a coach who left an indelible mark on the sport through innovation and leadership. His induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1976 is a fitting tribute to a man who shaped the game we know and love today.
