Richard Sligh: The Seven-Foot Raider Who Is the NFL’s Tallest Player

Richard Sligh is the tallest player in NFL history, listed at 7 feet tall (about 213 cm). The 300-pound defensive tackle played for the Oakland Raiders in 1967. His college, North Carolina Central University, identifies him as the league’s tallest player, and Pro Football Reference records his height as 7-foot-0. (NCCU Athletics; Pro Football Reference)

There is one historical wrinkle: Oakland belonged to the American Football League (AFL) during Sligh’s only playing season. His place in NFL history includes that pre-merger league—not a season played in the unified NFL. (Sligh’s career record)

A brief career on a championship team

Sligh played college football at North Carolina Central from 1962 through 1964. Oakland selected him in the 10th round of the 1967 draft. The Raiders’ all-time roster confirms his selection and eight appearances that season; Pro Football Reference lists him as the 253rd overall pick. (NCCU Athletics; Raiders player history; Pro Football Reference)

Those eight games were regular-season appearances, not his entire record including the postseason. Pro Football Reference also credits him with two playoff appearances and no starts in either category. He was a reserve rather than a regular starter. (Career games record)

Oakland’s season carried him to the sport’s biggest stage. The Raiders defeated Houston 40–7 for the AFL championship on December 31, 1967, then lost to Green Bay 33–14 in Super Bowl II on January 14, 1968. Sligh was a reserve defensive tackle on that Super Bowl team. (Pro Football Hall of Fame chronology; NCCU Athletics)

Why an AFL player counts in NFL history

The draft that brought Sligh to Oakland was the first combined AFL–NFL draft. Under the merger agreement announced in 1966, the leagues began drafting together in 1967 but retained separate regular-season schedules through 1969. The unified league began play in 1970. (Pro Football Hall of Fame)

The NFL incorporated AFL records when the merger was completed. That is why the standard all-time answer includes Sligh, even though his playing record belongs to the AFL era. A List Wire retrospective published by Yahoo Sports in April 2024 likewise names the seven-foot Sligh as the tallest player in league history. (NFL records explanation; List Wire retrospective)

How other notably tall players compare

Sligh stood above even some of football’s most recognizable giants:

These are selected comparisons, not a complete ranking. The figures are listed playing heights: they put Sligh two inches above Stroud and three inches above Ogden and Jones.