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Ray Bentley

Personal information
Born:	(1960-11-25) November 25, 1960 (age 64) Grand Rapids, Michigan
Height:	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight:	230 lb (104 kg)
Career information
College:	Central Michigan
Position:	Linebacker
Undrafted:	1983
Career history
As a player:
Michigan Panthers (1983–1984) Oakland Invaders (1985) Buffalo Bills (1986–1991) Cincinnati Bengals (1992)
As a coach:
Buffalo Destroyers (2000–2002) Head coach
As an executive:
Buffalo Destroyers (2000–2002) General manager
Head coaching record
Regular season:	17–21–0 (.447)
Postseason:	0–2–0 (.000)
Career:	17–23–0 (.425)
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Ray Russell Bentley (born November 25, 1960) is a former professional American football linebacker, broadcaster, and author.

Biography

Playing career

Bentley's first three years in professional football were spent with the Michigan Panthers and Oakland Invaders of the United States Football League.

He later joined the Buffalo Bills, and played six seasons with the team, including their first two Super Bowl years in the 1990s. Bentley's career ended with the Cincinnati Bengals in 1992, in which he set the team's franchise record for the longest fumble return touchdown (75 yards).

Broadcasting career

Bentley worked as part of the NFL on Fox broadcast team for four years from 1998 to 2001, doing both color commentary and play-by-play. He left Fox for a position as head coach and general manager of the Arena Football League's Buffalo Destroyers, and held that position for two years before resigning.

From 2003 to 2006, Bentley was a color commentator alongside play-by-play man Bob Papa on NBC's Arena Football League coverage, and since 2006 has served in that capacity for ESPN/ABC. In 2007, Bentley returned to the Buffalo Bills as a play-by-play announcer for their preseason television games, a role he still serves. He is also an advisory member for the revival of the USFL.

From 2009 to 2016 Bentley was a radio personality on 107.3 in Grand Rapids MI. In 2012 he was the linebacker coach for the Grandville Bulldogs. Ray is currently a defensive coordinator for the high school team Byron Center Bulldogs.

In 2018, he was hired to be the color commentator on ESPN for college football games.

Author

Bentley is the author of a series of children's books about the character of Darby the Dinosaur. In 2015, Bentley authored the fictional novel Driftwood which draws extensively from his experiences in football.

References

1. ^ "Ray Bentley ESPN MediaZone". ESPN. 2009-10-27. Archived from the original on 2010-07-06. Retrieved 2010-08-25. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Z9hwzPvqPA
3. "Ray Bentley named Destroyers new coach". www.oursportscentral.com. OurSports Central. May 8, 2000. Retrieved July 19, 2017.
4. "BILLS' BENTLEY GIVING DARBY THE DINOSAUR A `SUPER' SPOTLIGHT". Deseret News. 27 January 1991. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
5. Bentley, Ray (2015-06-24). Driftwood. Five Count Publishing LLC.

• 1960 births
• Living people
• American football linebackers
• Arena football announcers
• ArenaBowl broadcasters
• Buffalo Bills broadcasters
• Buffalo Bills players
• Central Michigan Chippewas football players
• Cincinnati Bengals players
• College football announcers
• Columbus Destroyers coaches
• Michigan Panthers players
• National Football League announcers
• Oakland Invaders players
• Olympic Games broadcasters
• Sportspeople from Grand Rapids, Michigan