Clifford Ray (born January 21, 1949 in Union, South Carolina) is a former professional basketball player. is the 21st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1949 (MCMXLIX) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1949 calendar). ... Union is a city located in Union County, South Carolina. ... This article is about the sport. ...

A 6-9 center, Ray played three of his ten seasons in the NBA with the Chicago Bulls (1971-74) and the other seven with the Golden State Warriors (1974-81). The National Basketball Association of the United States and Canada, commonly known as the NBA, is the premier professional basketball league in North America. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... The Golden State Warriors are a professional basketball team based in Oakland, California. ...

Career

Ray played his college basketball at the University of Oklahoma. In 1971 the Chicago Bulls selected him in the third round of the NBA Draft. From the start, Ray was a very effective defender and rebounder. He led the NBA in rebounds per minute played in each of his first two seasons. He spent three seasons with the Bulls, his best being 1973-74 during which he averaged 9.3 points and 12.2 rebounds per game. University of Oklahoma, abbreviated OU, is a coeducational public research university located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma founded in 1890. ... See also: 1970 in sports, other events of 1971, 1972 in sports and the list of years in sports. // Auto Racing Stock car racing: Richard Petty won the Daytona 500 NASCAR Championship - Richard Petty Indianapolis 500 - Al Unser, Sr. ... The NBA Draft is an annual North American event in which the National Basketball Associations (NBA) thirty teams (29 in the United States and one in Canada) can select players who wish to join the league. ... The 1973-74 NBA Season was the 28th season of the National Basketball Association. ...

After the 1973-74 season Ray was traded to Golden State for fellow center Nate Thurmond. In 1975 the Warriors, led by Rick Barry and coached by Al Attles, won the NBA championship. They defeated Ray's former team - the Chicago Bulls - in the Western Conference finals before sweeping the Washington Bullets in the NBA Finals. [1] Nathaniel Nate Thurmond (born July 25, 1941, in Akron, Ohio) is rated by many one of the best defensive centers ever to play pro basketball, feared and praised by legends including Bob Pettit, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Wilt Chamberlain. ... See also: 1974 in sports, other events of 1975, 1976 in sports and the list of years in sports. // Athletics August 12, In Gothenburg, Sweden, New Zealander, John Walker set a new world record becoming the first man to break 3:50 for the mile when he clocked 3:49. ... Richard (Rick) Francis Dennis Barry III (born March 28, 1944, in Elizabeth, New Jersey) is an American former professional basketball player. ... Alvin A. Al Attles (born November 7, 1936 in Newark, New Jersey) is a former pro basketball player and coach. ... Washington Bullets may refer to either the former name of the Washington Wizards basketball team or the song by The Clash, Washington Bullets (song). ... Logo of the NBA Finals. ...

Ray is one of a handful of players to have played at least ten seasons in the pros and to have recorded more rebounds (6953 over 784 games for an 8.9 average) than points (5821, for a 7.4 average) for his career.

After his playing career, Ray worked as an assistant coach with the Dallas Mavericks 1987. He also coached in the Continental Basketball Association, where he landed his first head coaching job with the Fort Wayne Fury, replacing former teammate Rick Barry as Head Coach at the end of the season. Later, he worked as a New Jersey Nets assistant before returning to Golden State as an assistant coach. He had also worked as an assistant coach with the Orlando Magic. The Dallas Mavericks (also known as the Mavs) are an NBA basketball team based in Dallas, Texas. ... The Continental Basketball Association (CBA) is a professional mens basketball league in the United States. ... The Fort Wayne Fury was team in the Continental Basketball Association. ... Richard (Rick) Francis Dennis Barry III (born March 28, 1944, in Elizabeth, New Jersey) is an American former professional basketball player. ... ‹ The template below (Taginfo) is being considered for deletion. ... The Orlando Magic is a professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. ...

In his post-playing career, Ray has worked with many NBA big men, including Chris Webber and Ben Wallace. As an Orlando Magic assistant, he was responsible for the development of Dwight Howard. In May 2006, Ray was signed by the Boston Celtics to work with big men Kendrick Perkins and Al Jefferson.^[1] During the off-season, Ray and former Celtics great Robert Parish conduct a Big Man Camp in Bradenton, Florida, where they work with many big men improving their game. [2] For the Canadian-born former BBL basketball player, see Chris Webber (Canadian basketball player). ... For the British MP, see Ben Wallace (UK politician). ... Dwight David Howard (born December 8, 1985, in Atlanta, Georgia[1]) is an American basketball player for the Orlando Magic of the National Basketball Association (NBA). ... The Boston Celtics are a professional basketball team based in Boston, Massachusetts. ... Kendrick Perkins (born November 10, 1984 in Nederland, Texas) is an American professional basketball player for the Boston Celtics of the NBA. He graduated from Clifton J. Ozen High School in Beaumont, Texas in 2003. ... Al Jefferson (born January 4, 1985 in Monticello, Mississippi) is an American professional basketball player for the Minnesota Timberwolves of the NBA. // Jefferson attended Prentiss High School in Prentiss, Mississippi. ... Robert Lee Parish (born August 30, 1953) in Shreveport, Louisiana) is a retired American basketball center. ... Bradenton is a city in Manatee County, Florida, United States. ...

Dolphin rescue

In 1978, Ray was in the news for an entirely different reason: he helped save a dolphin's life. At Marine World in Redwood City, California, during maintenance in the tank of a bottlenose dolphin named "Mr. Spock", the dolphin swallowed a sharp screw. The veterinarian was unwilling to perform a risky operation while the screw was still in the dolphin's first stomach, just inches beyond his reach. His frustrated suggestion that he needed longer arms led someone to ask local star Ray (whose arms are 3 feet 9 inches, or 114 centimeters, long) if he could help. With gloves, lubrication, and guidance, he was able to reach down Spock's throat and retrieve the screw before it could cause more damage.^[1] Six Flags Marine World is an amusement and animal park located in Vallejo, California. ... Redwood City is a suburb located on the San Francisco Peninsula in the San Francisco Bay Area of California. ... Binomial name Montagu, 1821 Bottlenose Dolphin range (in blue) The Bottlenose Dolphin is the most common and well-known dolphin. ... Screws come in a variety of shapes and sizes for different purposes. ...

In December 2006, Bao Xishun, then recognized as world's tallest living man, saved the lives of two dolphins in the same manner as Ray. Bao Xishun at a Dalian hospital [China Daily] Bao Xishun, also known as Colin Barnes The Mast (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; born in China, 1951), is a herdsman from Inner Mongolia and, since January 15, 2005, has been recognized by Guinness World Records as the worlds tallest living man. ...

Trivia

• Ray has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Oklahoma and can play most woodwind instruments.

The Bachelor of Fine Arts, usually abbreviated BFA, is the standard undergraduate degree for students seeking a professional education in the visual or performing arts. ... A woodwind instrument is a wind instrument in which sound is produced by blowing against an edge or by a vibrating a thin piece of wood known as a reed, and in which the pitch governed by the resonant frequencies of an enclosed air column. ...

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Springer, Shira. "Ray jumps into job". Boston Globe, May 24, 2006.