Roger Staubach once said, “Rayfield Wright protected me in the same manner in which the Secret Service protects our nation’s President…with vigilance.” Today, Rayfield still has the same unspoken passion in protecting and assisting children with the same diligence with which he once defended Roger Staubach and Danny White. Although he won’t yank off his helmet and publicly proclaim his efforts, the children who Rayfield has helped know that he is a caring and supporting factor on their playing field.

As a Dallas Cowboy, Rayfield’s life was directed by setting goals, by successfully meeting and overcoming challenges, by almost daily exposure to the encouraging influences of peers and coaches, and by motivating others in return. His fondest memories are not limited to his brief, intense experiences on the playing field but by his participation in the lives of the fans and people who admired their team.

When the “Big Cat” retired from the Cowboys, he left a life of high reward, of discipline and self-sacrifice, of teamwork and cooperation. His retirement from the NFL found him with a wealth of experience and boundless energy, but few constructive opportunities to apply either. As he stepped outside the world of professional sports, he wanted to understand why children didn’t have positive goals or role models, why drugs and gangs were overtaking them, why children’s lives were being manipulated by television, violence, sex and materialism, and, more importantly, why children were not being motivated toward positive goals.

Rayfield openly admits that he never would have achieved his Hall of Fame status with only his God-given athleticism. Growing up fatherless, he had several mentors who held his hand and walked with him on his road less traveled. More importantly, he has never forgotten those mentors — male and female, black and white, young and old — who took him by the hand and helped guide him through his life’s journey.

Today, as a result of those who have walked with him, Rayfield possesses a powerful, yet charismatic synergy. Often times he sees himself reflected in the eyes of young people, Christians, adults and business leaders, while they, in turn, see themselves in the fullness of his leadership and his “realness”.

He often asks why more of today’s athletes are not as influential as the NFL players of the dynamic decade of the 70s. But that hasn’t deterred Rayfield’s continued efforts to make this world a better place.

Through the Rayfield Wright Foundation, he continues to tackle life’s challenges. Donations to the Foundation have helped achieve those objectives. In the fall of 2007, the Foundation assisted 14 students in Parker County (Texas) to further their education by awarding more than $30,000 in college grants. His efforts have also helped support the following organizations (to name a few):