Ray Clemons was a former Duke, Central Oklahoma and Detroit Lions offensive lineman, NCAA champion and Olympic wrestler, born on June 4, 1912 in Duke, Oklahoma.

Clemons was a fullback on the Duke High School team that went 5-1-2. He also participated in track and field.

In 1932, Clemons enrolled at Central State Teachers College (Now University of Central Oklahoma) and won a starting position in the Bronchos' backfield as a freshman.

But it was in wrestling that he truly excelled. He was a three-time All-American at Central State  In 1936, he helped Central State finish tied for second in the team standings and won the NCAA championship at 191 pounds over Charles McDaniel of Indiana University.

Later that summer, he competed in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, Germany, but after winning his first two matches, he had to be hospitalized and undergo an operation after both of his tonsils became badly infected.

He lost 24 pounds while he was in the hospital, but returned to athletic competition later that year in professional wrestling.

In 1937, Clemons returned to football with the Los Angeles Bulldogs of the American Football League. The Bulldogs went 16-0 that year and won the league championship with Clemons playing right guard.

In 1939, Clemons signed with the NFL's Detroit Lions as a punter. He averaged 42.7 yards per punt, which ranked fourth in the league. He also caught one pass for five yards.

He then signed with the Phoenix Panthers of the Pacific Coast Professional Football League during its inaugural season in 1940. He scored his only professional touchdown with the Panthers catching a 33-yard scoring pass against Los Angeles on November 21, 1940.

In the summer of 1943, Clemons returned to the Detroit Lions, but was released before the season began.

He remained in Michigan and coached the Dearborn All-Stars, a semi-professional football team. He later became a sales representative for Tri-Penn Oil Corporation.

In 1975, Clemons was named at fullback to the All-1930s team by the Jim Thorpe Awards Committee.

Clemons passed away in 1980 in Michigan at the age of 68. He was laid to rest at Michigan Memorial Park in Flat Rock, Michigan.