Sligh's brief career
Richard Sligh was born in 1944 in Salisbury, North Carolina. He played college football at North Carolina College (now North Carolina Central) and basketball at Indiana Central before being drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the 10th round of the 1967 NFL/AFL draft. He made the team as a backup defensive tackle and appeared in eight regular-season games and one AFL Championship Game.
Sligh played in Super Bowl II — the Raiders’ first Super Bowl appearance — losing to the Vince Lombardi Packers 33-14. He was waived in training camp the following season and didn’t catch on with another team. He returned to North Carolina, worked in education, and died in 2008 at age 64.
The 6'9" club
Below Sligh, the tallest NFL players in modern history are listed at 6’9″. The most-prominent is Hall of Fame left tackle Jonathan Ogden (Baltimore Ravens, 1996-2007), who played 12 seasons and is widely regarded as one of the best offensive linemen ever. Trent Williams (San Francisco 49ers) is also listed at 6’8″-6’9″ depending on the source and is the longest-tenured active 6’9″ player.
Several less-celebrated names hold the 6’9″ listing: Mike McGruder (defensive end, multiple teams in the 1990s), Caleb Campbell, and Jared Veldheer (Arizona Cardinals tackle, 11 seasons). Tight end Morris Stroud Jr. of the Kansas City Chiefs in the early 1970s was also listed at 6’10” in some sources but officially measured 6’8″ at the time.
Why no one has matched Sligh
The biological talent pool for 7-foot athletes flows almost entirely toward basketball and (more recently) volleyball, where the height premium is highest. NFL scouts have rarely pursued athletes that tall because the position demands — quick lateral movement, low pad level on the line, and ankle/knee durability under repeated collisions — penalize the leverage disadvantages of an extra-tall frame.
The 6’9″ left-tackle archetype works because the position requires arm length over agility. Anything past 6’9″ starts costing more in injury risk and movement than it gains in reach. Even Sligh — who played defensive tackle, where the leverage problem is even sharper — never became a starter despite being a 10th-round pick on a Super Bowl roster.
More in Physical Extremes
Shaquille O'Neal Height: 7'1" and 325 lbs Shortest NBA Player Ever: Muggsy Bogues at 5'3" Tallest NBA Player Ever: Mureșan and Bol at 7'7"Background facts cross-referenced with the Wikipedia article on Richard Sligh and Pro-Football-Reference / Basketball-Reference public records.