Raymond Lenn "Ray" Berry (born October 28, 1963 in Lovington, New Mexico

Lovington, New Mexico

Lovington is a city in and the county seat of Lea County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 9,471 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Lovington is located at ....

) is a former professional American football

American football

American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...

 linebacker

Linebacker

A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...

 in the National Football League

National Football League

The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...

. He played seven seasons for the Minnesota Vikings

Minnesota Vikings

The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...

 (1987–1992) and the Seattle Seahawks

Seattle Seahawks

The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team...

 (1993). At Baylor University

Baylor University

Baylor University is a private, Christian university located in Waco, Texas. Founded in 1845, Baylor is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.-History:...

, Ray was named as Sports Illustrated

Sports Illustrated

Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...

 College Football Defensive Player of the Week for his role, including a game saving interception near the end of the game, in Baylor’s upset of #2 ranked University of Southern California

University of Southern California

The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...

in Los Angeles. (See, Sports Illustrated, September 30, 1985, page 67) In 2005, Ray was inducted into the Baylor Athletics Hall of Honor (See, http://www.baylorbears.com/genrel/112003aab.html)
and was named as a Legend of Baylor Football in 2007. (See, http://www.baylorbears.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/092906aaa.html) Ray played his High School Football for the O.H. Cooper High School Cougars in Abilene, Texas and was named as a Parade Magazine High School All-American as a Senior during the 1981 - 1982 school year. (See, Abilene Reporter News, May 12, 1982, page 2C)