Richard Ellis Sligh (August 18, 1944 – December 23, 1998[1]) was an American football defensive tackle who played for the Oakland Raiders of the American Football League (AFL).
| No. 73 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Defensive tackle | ||||||
| Personal information | |||||||
| Born: | August 18, 1944 Newberry, South Carolina, U.S. | ||||||
| Died: | December 23, 1998 (aged 54) Roxboro, North Carolina, U.S. | ||||||
| Height: | 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) | ||||||
| Weight: | 300 lb (136 kg) | ||||||
| Career information | |||||||
| High school: | Gallman (Newberry, South Carolina) | ||||||
| College: | North Carolina College (1962–1966) | ||||||
| AFL draft: | 1967 / round: 10 / pick: 253 | ||||||
| Career history | |||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||
| |||||||
Football career
editSligh graduated from Gallman High School in Newberry, South Carolina and played college football at North Carolina Central University, where he was on Dean's List, for high academic achievement, as well as having a Biology Major and Chemistry Minor from 1962 to 1966.[2]
He was chosen in the 10th round of the 1967 NFL/AFL Draft as a defensive tackle.[3][4]
During his time in the league he played in a total of eight games. Sligh was a reserve for the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl II, when the Raiders fell to the Green Bay Packers.[2][5] In 1968, he was chosen by the expansion Cincinnati Bengals in the AFL Allocation Draft, but he was waived prior to the regular season.[6]
Height
editAt 7 ft 0 in, Sligh is the tallest player in professional American football history.[7] The next tallest are Matt O'Donnell at 6 ft 11 in, Morris Stroud at 6 ft 10 in, and Dan Skipper at 6 ft 10 in.[8]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Dates of birth and death for Richard E. Sligh per the United States Social Security Death Index
- ^ a b "North Carolina Central University | Bio from NCCU's centennial celebration". nccueaglepride.cstv.com. Retrieved June 3, 2015.
- ^ "1967 NFL Draft Listing". pro-football-reference.com. Retrieved June 3, 2015.
- ^ "History: Pro Football Draft History - The 1960s". profootballhof.com. Retrieved June 3, 2015.
- ^ "Richard Sligh, DT at NFL.com". nfl.com. Retrieved June 3, 2015.
- ^ "Draft 68". bengalsjungle.com. Retrieved June 3, 2015.
- ^ Conner, F. (2000). Football's Most Wanted™: The Top 10 Book of the Great Game's Outrageous Characters, Fortunate Fumbles, and Other Oddities. Potomac Books Incorporated. p. 129. ISBN 9781574883091. Retrieved June 3, 2015.
- ^ "Yahoo". voices.yahoo.com. Retrieved June 3, 2015.