NFL world remembers former defensive lineman Ray Seals

[ad_1] Ray Seals' path to the NFL was unbelievable. However the former semipro soccer participant reached the best stage {of professional} soccer.

Seals' journey in life got here to an finish this week. Social media consumer Nini Marie and Syracuse.com confirmed Seals' demise. He was 59.

His reason behind demise was not instantly launched.

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Defensive lineman Ray Seals of the Pittsburgh Steelers throughout a recreation in opposition to the Philadelphia Eagles at Three Rivers Stadium Dec. 11, 1994, in Pittsburgh. (George Gojkovich/Getty Pictures)

Seals' soccer story started at Henninger Excessive College in Syracuse, New York. As an alternative of creating the leap to the college football ranks, Seals' journey took him to the semipros.

Seals' highschool coach, Bob Campese, remembered the previous defensive lineman as a "happy-go-lucky" individual.

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"(He was) a happy-go-lucky, huge, kind-hearted man who was an amazing athlete, most likely pretty much as good or higher than any athlete that ever got here out of right here, actually," Campese mentioned, via Syracuse.com . "We had some good ones. However Ray may need been on the high."

Ray Seals, former defensive lineman for the Pittsburgh Steelers, throughout a halftime presentation honoring former gamers throughout a recreation between the Steelers and Chicago Bears at Heinz Subject Sept. 22, 2013, in Pittsburgh. (George Gojkovich/Getty Pictures)

Regardless of by no means enjoying a snap in school soccer, Seals signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1988. By 1991, he was persistently within the Bucs' beginning lineup. He additionally had stints with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Carolina Panthers.

Seals was inducted into the Greater Syracuse Hall of Fame in 2016, in keeping with the bio offered by the corridor.

Defensive lineman Ray Seals of the Pittsburgh Steelers throughout a recreation in opposition to the Philadelphia Eagles at Three Rivers Stadium Dec. 11, 1994, in Pittsburgh. (George Gojkovich/Getty Pictures)

Seals began enjoying for the semipro Syracuse Specific in 1987.

Ray Perkins, who coached at Alabama earlier than leaving to just accept the top teaching job with the Buccaneers, is essentially credited with giving Seals an opportunity to play within the NFL.

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"We have been all behind him. We have been rooting for him such as you couldn’t imagine, to have that chance to make it," Seals' former Specific teammate, Garry Acchione, mentioned. "I by no means had a doubt in my thoughts that he was ok to play within the NFL. I imply, all of us knew it. It’s simply, ‘OK, how do you get him there? How does he get the chance?’