Flaherty, Raymond
Football
b. Sept. 1, 1904, Spokane, WA
d. July 19, 1994
Though elected to the hall of fame as a coach, Flaherty was also a fine player. An end at Gonzaga University, he played for the Los Angeles Wildcats of the American Football League in 1926. The league folded after one season and Flaherty went to the NFL's New York Yanks for two seasons before joining the New York Giants in 1928.
Flaherty temporarily retired after the 1929 season, but he returned to the Giants in 1931 and remained with them through 1935 before retiring for good. He led the NFL in receiving with 21 catches for 350 yards and 3 touchdowns in 1932, the first year official statistics were kept.
In 1936, Flaherty became coach of the Boston Redskins, who moved to Washington the following season. He guided the Redskins to NFL championships in 1937 and 1942, then entered the navy.
After World War II, Flaherty coached the New York Yankees to division titles in the All-America Football Conference in 1946 and 1947, but they lost both championship games to the Cleveland Browns. He was fired after the team won only 1 of its first 4 games in 1948. He ended his coaching career with the AAFC's Chicago Hornets in 1949. His overall coaching record was 82-41-5.