Ray Seals

For the boxer, see Sugar Ray Seales.

Raymond Bernard Seals (June 17, 1965 – April 4, 2025) was an American professional football player who was a defensive end in the National Football League (NFL). He was notable for being one of the rare players to have made it to the NFL without ever having attended college.^[1] Seals started in Super Bowl XXX^[2] as a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers.^[3]

Ray Seals

No. 98, 97, 99
Position	Defensive end
Personal information
Born	(1965-06-17)June 17, 1965 Syracuse, New York, U.S.
Died	April 4, 2025(2025-04-04) (aged 59) Tampa, Florida, U.S.
Height	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight	293 lb (133 kg)
Career information
High school	Henninger (Syracuse)
Career history
Syracuse Express (1986–1987) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1988–1990) Detroit Lions (1990) Indianapolis Colts (1990) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1991–1993) Pittsburgh Steelers (1994–1996) Carolina Panthers (1997) Cincinnati Bengals (1998)*
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Playing career

Seals lettered in football at Anthony A. Henninger High School in Syracuse, New York.

Seals went from playing for the minor-league Syracuse Express of the Empire Football League^[4] to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1989. He went to the Steelers in 1994 as a free agent and played two seasons as their starting right defensive end.^[5] He was injured in 1996, his third season with the Steelers, and finished with Carolina in 1997.

Seals was famous for batting away a pass by then rookie quarterback Brett Favre, only to have it be caught by Favre himself, for the first completion in his long and storied career.^[6]

Personal life and death

Seals was inducted into the American Football Association's Semi-Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1992.^[7] Seals's cousin, Jonny Gammage, was killed after a traffic stop by Brentwood police officers in 1995.^[8][9]

Seals died in Tampa, Florida on April 4, 2025, at the age of 59.^[10][11]