Former Buffalo Bill great and Bill’s all-time leading rusher during the AFL years, Wray Carlton was recently inducted into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame. Carlton was inducted last Thursday night in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Carlton’s talents showed early in his life when early in the 1950’s, one of his teachers pulled him aside one day and told Carlton that he had been watching him play sports like football and baseball, and told Carlton that he had immense talent. Carlton said that his teacher told him, “This is a great opportunity for you. Keep working hard and don’t blow it.”
Carlton said that these words always stuck with him and led Carlton to his Hall of Fame induction. Carlton excelled in every sport he played, but he soon realized that football was his best chance to maximize his talents. He played football at Duke University and helped the Blue Devils reach the 1958 Orange Bowl. Carlton also set a Duke single season record with four 100-yard rushing games in 1957, when he was first-team all-ACC and an honorable mention All-American running back.
He was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles but decided to sign with the Buffalo Bills and that choice was the right choice in many of his fans minds as well. Carlton played on two of Buffalo’s AFL Championship teams rushing for 3,368 yards and 29 touchdowns while catching 110 passes for 1,329 yards and 5 TD’s.
Last Thursday night featured a few other notable inductees like Lennie Rosenbluth of North Carolina’s undefeated 1957 NCAA basketball championship team and Henry Trevathan, who coached football for more than 60 years at various levels in the Tar Heel State.
