Ronald Paul Wolfley (born October 14, 1962) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for the St. Louis/Arizona Cardinals from 1985 through 1991. Wolfley was selected four times to the Pro Bowl as a special teams captain.
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| Position: | Running back | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | October 14, 1962 Blasdell, New York, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 225 lb (102 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Orchard Park (Orchard Park, New York) | ||||||||
| College: | West Virginia | ||||||||
| NFL draft: | 1985 / round: 4 / pick: 104 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Wolfley played collegiately for the West Virginia Mountaineers.
As of September 2021[update], Wolfley co-hosts a midday sports talk show on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM in Phoenix, Arizona with Luke Lapinski entitled, Wolf and Luke.[1] Teamed with play-by-play announcer Dave Pasch, Wolfley also serves as the Arizona Cardinals' color analyst on the Arizona Cardinals Radio Network.[2]
Wolfley is the younger brother of former offensive lineman Craig Wolfley, formerly of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Minnesota Vikings.
College career
editWolfley arrived at West Virginia in 1981. His freshman year, he saw little action. He only rushed for 13 yards on the season.
As a sophomore in 1982, Wolfley started at fullback, blocking for starting running back Curlin Beck. He also rushed for 355 yards and two touchdowns of his own, good enough to be second on the team, behind Beck.
As a junior in 1983, Wolfley again started at fullback, blocking for running back Tom Gray. Wolfley had a career-high 485 yards rushing and four touchdowns on 122 carries.
In 1984, his final season as a Mountaineer, Wolfley assumed the role of starting running back, amassing 475 total yards and four touchdowns.
Professional career
editWolfley was selected in the fourth round of the 1985 NFL draft by the St. Louis Cardinals.[3] During his seven seasons as a Cardinal (from which the team moved from St. Louis to Phoenix), he totaled 252 yards and two scores. Wolfley was known for his fearless special teams play that allowed him to compete in four straight Pro Bowls from 1986 through 1989.
In 1992, Wolfley joined the Cleveland Browns, where he played for two seasons. In 1995, he joined the St. Louis Rams for his final professional season.
Wolfley is the only player to have played in St. Louis for both the Cardinals and the Rams, earning him the self-proclaimed moniker "America's Fullback."
References
edit- ^ "Down goes Wolf! Larry Fitzgerald tackles Ron Wolfley at Cardinals training camp" Arizona Sports. Retrieved 2017-03-16.
- ^ "Pasch Factor: Life With Wolf" AZCardinals.com. Retrieved 2017-03-16.
- ^ "1985 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 10, 2023.