| Historical Stats & Info |
| "It is the most important victory of my career." -- Head Coach Dick Voris, after the Hoos’ 15-12 victory over Duke on September 27, 1958. Voris finished his UVA career with a record of 1-29. |
| "We've stopped recruiting young men who want to come here to be students first and athletes second." -- Former Virginia head coach Sonny Randle, describing his strategy for turning around UVA's football program |
| "As the score mounted, to 20-0 and finally 26-0, his movements slowed. With two minutes to go and South Carolina threatening once more, Voris stood behind several rows of substitutes, staring at his shoes." -- Sports Illustrated, describing Coach Voris’ stellar coaching performance during the Hoos’ 26-0 loss to South Carolina in 1960 |
| "Really, Texas wasn't as good as I thought they'd be." -- Ted Manly, Virginia's freshman quarterback, after Texas had spanked the Hoos 68-0 |
| 5 Questions with Ray Roberts |
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| Ray Roberts was one of the most decorated and dominant offensive linemen in the history of Virginia football. Roberts was a four-time letter winner (1988-1991) and was selected to the All-ACC team three times (2nd Team in 1989, 1st Team in 1990 and 1991). He also won the Jacobs Blocking Trophy (which is awarded to the player voted the most outstanding blocker in the ACC in a poll of conference coaches) in each of his last two seasons (1990 and 1991), becoming only the second Virginia player to win the award two times. As a senior in 1991, Roberts served as a team captain and was selected 1st Team All-America by the Scripps Howard News Service and Kodak (American Football Coaches Association). He earned second-team All-America honors from College & Pro Football Newsweekly, the Football News, The Associated Press and United Press International. During his career, Roberts played on three bowl teams, and he was a starter on UVA's first ACC championship team in 1989. After his senior season, the Seattle Seahawks made Roberts the #10 overall pick in the 1992 NFL draft. Roberts started the first 46 games of his NFL career before suffering a season-ending injury in 1994. After the 1995 season Roberts signed as a free agent with the Detroit Lions, where he played with several former Hoos, including Don Majkowski, Greg Jeffries, Chris Harrison, Matt Blundin, Herman Moore, and Germane Crowell. In 1998, Roberts was selected by his teammates as one of two offensive co-captains, and he was on the field for every offensive play that season. For his career, Roberts played in 127 regular season games, including 116 starts. These days, Big Ray is the head football coach at Lake Washington High School in Kirkland, Washington. He is also a radio host and analyst on ESPN 710 in Seattle, and he is currently working on a project aimed at assisting with life and career transitions for professional athletes and corporate professionals. Ray has three kids - his daughter Reagan is 13, and his sons Slade and Pryce are 11 and 5. Ray and his wife Beth have been married for 17 years. |
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| All photographs on this site are the property of the respective copyright owners. They are presented here solely for educational and/or editorial purposes and may not be reproduced for any other purpose. |
| Copyright © 2008 www.hoosfootball.com All Rights Reserved |
1. You're originally from North Carolina. What made you decide to go to
UVa?
I choose UVA because of Danny Wilmer, the defensive line coach at the time. He
was really genuine and honest with me and I liked that. Also, Shawn Moore and
Derrick Boyd hosted me on my visit and really made me feel like one of the guys.
They deserve a lot of credit for me changing my mind after originally giving a verbal
commitment to Tennessee.
2. I read a story awhile back about how one day you got into a fight during
practice, and Coach Welsh tried to break it up by jumping on your back.
Did that really happen?
Yes it did. I was originally recruited as a defensive lineman. During my second
summer scrimmage as a hoo, Tim Morris and Roy Brown, let's just say the entire
oline, was not happy that I was putting it on them that day. Hahahaha! They
jumped me and I fought them all. George was trying to get me to stop so he
jumped on my back and was hitting me with his hat yelling at me to stop. He
kicked me out of practice and I thought I had lost my scholarship. Fortunately,
calmer heads prevailed. George moved me to offensive tackle and the rest, as they
say, is history.
3. How did you get the nickname Puddin'?
One summer I did not attend summer school. I stayed home in Asheville, NC. At
home I at my mom's good ol' southern cooking and returned for summer camp
about 20lbs heavier than when school ended. As I was removing my shirt in the
locker room, Chris Bosari, (BoBo to us) looked up and said, "Look at Ray's
stomach It looks like a big bowl of chocolate puddin'!" The name stuck and I just
rolled with it. I still get called Puddin when I return to UVA and it makes me feel at
home. There are also some UVA alums here in the Seattle area that remember
the name and I will hear it shouted out in public places at times. Thanks BoBo! It
was all your doing.
4. You were on the 1990 team, which averaged more than 40 points per
game during the regular season and was ranked #1 for three weeks.
What's your favorite memory from that season?
Coming into the huddle, looking at Shawn Moore and hearing him say, "Let's drop
40 on these punks!" and not only believing we could do it but knowing we were
going to. Ultimate confidence in ourselves and complete offensive domination.
5. You and Chris Slade were both 1st Team All-Americans, and you both
recently had your jerseys retired by UVa. Did you guys line up against each
other in practice? If so, who usually came out on top?
We lined up against each other a lot. It was not about who would win or lose the
battles. It was about making each other better. By honing my skills against
arguably the best pass rusher in ACC history, I knew I could conquer any
opponent I was going to face on Saturday afternoons. By the way, I have so much
respect for Chris Slade that I named my first son after him. His name is Slade
Roberts. With a name like that, he's destined to be great at whatever he chooses.
UVa?
I choose UVA because of Danny Wilmer, the defensive line coach at the time. He
was really genuine and honest with me and I liked that. Also, Shawn Moore and
Derrick Boyd hosted me on my visit and really made me feel like one of the guys.
They deserve a lot of credit for me changing my mind after originally giving a verbal
commitment to Tennessee.
2. I read a story awhile back about how one day you got into a fight during
practice, and Coach Welsh tried to break it up by jumping on your back.
Did that really happen?
Yes it did. I was originally recruited as a defensive lineman. During my second
summer scrimmage as a hoo, Tim Morris and Roy Brown, let's just say the entire
oline, was not happy that I was putting it on them that day. Hahahaha! They
jumped me and I fought them all. George was trying to get me to stop so he
jumped on my back and was hitting me with his hat yelling at me to stop. He
kicked me out of practice and I thought I had lost my scholarship. Fortunately,
calmer heads prevailed. George moved me to offensive tackle and the rest, as they
say, is history.
3. How did you get the nickname Puddin'?
One summer I did not attend summer school. I stayed home in Asheville, NC. At
home I at my mom's good ol' southern cooking and returned for summer camp
about 20lbs heavier than when school ended. As I was removing my shirt in the
locker room, Chris Bosari, (BoBo to us) looked up and said, "Look at Ray's
stomach It looks like a big bowl of chocolate puddin'!" The name stuck and I just
rolled with it. I still get called Puddin when I return to UVA and it makes me feel at
home. There are also some UVA alums here in the Seattle area that remember
the name and I will hear it shouted out in public places at times. Thanks BoBo! It
was all your doing.
4. You were on the 1990 team, which averaged more than 40 points per
game during the regular season and was ranked #1 for three weeks.
What's your favorite memory from that season?
Coming into the huddle, looking at Shawn Moore and hearing him say, "Let's drop
40 on these punks!" and not only believing we could do it but knowing we were
going to. Ultimate confidence in ourselves and complete offensive domination.
5. You and Chris Slade were both 1st Team All-Americans, and you both
recently had your jerseys retired by UVa. Did you guys line up against each
other in practice? If so, who usually came out on top?
We lined up against each other a lot. It was not about who would win or lose the
battles. It was about making each other better. By honing my skills against
arguably the best pass rusher in ACC history, I knew I could conquer any
opponent I was going to face on Saturday afternoons. By the way, I have so much
respect for Chris Slade that I named my first son after him. His name is Slade
Roberts. With a name like that, he's destined to be great at whatever he chooses.
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