Ray Schoenke
Encyclopedia
Raymond Frederick Schoenke (born September 10, 1941 in Wahiawa, Hawaii
) is a gun owner, hunter, conservationist, and former American football
player in the National Football League
for the Washington Redskins
. He is the founding President of the American Hunters and Shooters Association
which the Brady Campaign, an anti-gun organization, considers to be 'complementary' to its own goals. In addition to owning a 300 acres (1.2 km²) hunting preserve on Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay
, he has hunted throughout the United States
and Europe
.
Schoenke was a candidate for Governor of Maryland
in 1998.
, Hawaii
, 3rd Engineering Corp baseball and basketball teams in the 1920s and 30s; and Olivia Alapa a native Hawaiian.
and the Washington Redskins
. In 1987, he was selected for the "50th Anniversary Greatest Redskins Team.” In 2002, Schoenke was picked as one of the top 100 players in the history of the Redskins. Ray graduated from Weatherford (Tx.) High School where he was an all state lineman with the Kangaroos . An All-American and Academic All-American at Southern Methodist University
, Schoenke was also named to SMU's 75th Anniversary All Time Football Team. He also received the Silver Anniversary Mustang Award from the SMU Letterman’s Association.
Schoenke has been a political activist, from president of his local citizen's association to working in county, state, federal and 6 presidential campaigns. In 1972, he enlisted and organized over a hundred professional football players in supporting George McGovern
's presidential campaign
.
Schoenke was a member of the transition team of Republican Governor Robert Ehrlich
and serves on the governor's Medical Malpractice Task Force. He has also served on several boards and commissions a few being Kamehameha Schools Advisory Board of Honolulu, Maryland Department of Natural Resources Outdoor Caucus, and the Maryland Governor’s Commission on Gun Violence. He was appointed by the Secretary of Army to help in the transition of the Civilian Marksmanship Program to a private non-profit corporation. He was awarded the Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Foundation "Kennedy Family Award" for his role in the formation of the Special Olympics
and his work with the mentally challenged.
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
) is a gun owner, hunter, conservationist, and former 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...
player 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...
for the Washington Redskins
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
. He is the founding President of the American Hunters and Shooters Association
American Hunters and Shooters Association
The American Hunters and Shooters Association , founded in 2005, was a small United States-based group, which has set itself apart from the much larger gun owner organization, the National Rifle Association, founded in 1871, by advocating further restrictions on 2nd Amendment rights...
which the Brady Campaign, an anti-gun organization, considers to be 'complementary' to its own goals. In addition to owning a 300 acres (1.2 km²) hunting preserve on Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay
Chesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. It lies off the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by Maryland and Virginia. The Chesapeake Bay's drainage basin covers in the District of Columbia and parts of six states: New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West...
, he has hunted throughout the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
.
Schoenke was a candidate for Governor of Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
in 1998.
Early life
Schoenke is part native Hawaiian and the son of Raymond "Snowshoes" Schoenke Sr., member of the U.S. Army’s Schofield Barracks OahuOahu
Oahu or Oahu , known as "The Gathering Place", is the third largest of the Hawaiian Islands and most populous of the islands in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital Honolulu is located on the southeast coast...
, Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
, 3rd Engineering Corp baseball and basketball teams in the 1920s and 30s; and Olivia Alapa a native Hawaiian.
Football career
From 1963 to 1975, Schoenke played professional football for the Dallas CowboysDallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
and the Washington Redskins
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
. In 1987, he was selected for the "50th Anniversary Greatest Redskins Team.” In 2002, Schoenke was picked as one of the top 100 players in the history of the Redskins. Ray graduated from Weatherford (Tx.) High School where he was an all state lineman with the Kangaroos . An All-American and Academic All-American at Southern Methodist University
Southern Methodist University
Southern Methodist University is a private university in Dallas, Texas, United States. Founded in 1911 by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, SMU operates campuses in Dallas, Plano, and Taos, New Mexico. SMU is owned by the South Central Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church...
, Schoenke was also named to SMU's 75th Anniversary All Time Football Team. He also received the Silver Anniversary Mustang Award from the SMU Letterman’s Association.
After football
Schoenke has more than 30 years experience in business. While he played football, he began building a national insurance brokerage firm, Schoenke & Associates. In 1998, his company was purchased by Clark Consulting Inc., a NYSE company.Schoenke has been a political activist, from president of his local citizen's association to working in county, state, federal and 6 presidential campaigns. In 1972, he enlisted and organized over a hundred professional football players in supporting George McGovern
George McGovern
George Stanley McGovern is an historian, author, and former U.S. Representative, U.S. Senator, and the Democratic Party nominee in the 1972 presidential election....
's presidential campaign
George McGovern presidential campaign, 1972
George McGovern, a United States Senator from South Dakota, launched his second candidacy for the presidency of the United States in an ultimately unsuccessful bid for the 1972 presidential election.-Leading up to the announcement:...
.
Schoenke was a member of the transition team of Republican Governor Robert Ehrlich
Robert Ehrlich
Robert Leroy "Bob" Ehrlich, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 60th Governor of Maryland from 2003 to 2007. A Republican, he became governor after defeating Democratic opponent Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, a member of the Kennedy family, 51% to 48% in the 2002 elections...
and serves on the governor's Medical Malpractice Task Force. He has also served on several boards and commissions a few being Kamehameha Schools Advisory Board of Honolulu, Maryland Department of Natural Resources Outdoor Caucus, and the Maryland Governor’s Commission on Gun Violence. He was appointed by the Secretary of Army to help in the transition of the Civilian Marksmanship Program to a private non-profit corporation. He was awarded the Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Foundation "Kennedy Family Award" for his role in the formation of the Special Olympics
Special Olympics
Special Olympics is the world's largest sports organization for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, providing year-round training and competitions to more than 3.1 million athletes in 175 countries....
and his work with the mentally challenged.