NORFOLK, Va. — Norfolk State University Athletics mourns the passing of Leon Raeminton "Ray" Jarvis, a 2023 inductee into the Norfolk State Athletics Hall of Fame and a nine-year National Football League veteran. 

A Chesapeake, Va., Jarvis arrived at Norfolk State in 1967 and quickly became one of the most explosive receivers in the country. Over four seasons in green and gold, he built a reputation as a deep threat few defenses could account for, finishing his Spartan career with 2,211 receiving yards — still fourth in program history.

His 1970 season remains among the most remarkable in Norfolk State football history. Jarvis averaged 30.8 yards per reception that fall, a single-season school record that has stood for more than five decades.

That production carried him to the professional ranks, where the Atlanta Falcons selected him in the fifth round of the 1971 NFL Draft. Jarvis went on to play nine seasons in the NFL for the Falcons, Buffalo Bills, Detroit Lions and New England Patriots.

He is perhaps best remembered for his time in Detroit, where he wore No. 45 and became one of the league's most dangerous vertical threats. In 1976, Jarvis led the Lions with 822 receiving yards and five touchdowns while averaging 21.1 yards per catch. Teammates and fans alike remember a receiver who found the end zone often — and who had a touchdown celebration worth waiting for.

When Norfolk State welcomed Jarvis into its Athletics Hall of Fame in 2023, the honor recognized a career that took a Hampton Roads kid from the fields of Chesapeake to stadiums across the NFL, and inspired generations of young athletes in the region to believe the same path was possible for them.

The Norfolk State Athletics family extends its deepest condolences to the Jarvis family, his former teammates and all who were touched by his life.