Age: 26
4th
season in pro football, 2nd in NFL & with Saints
College: Purdue
Height: 5’9” Weight: 166
Prelude:
As a Purdue
running back Gray rushed for 1765 yards and 15 touchdowns and caught 53 passes
for another 437 yards and a TD. Chosen by the Chicago Blitz in the seventh
round of the 1984 USFL draft, Gray alternated with Kevin Nelson and Kevin Mack
and ran for 625 yards on 133 attempts as a rookie (4.7 avg.),added 27 pass
receptions for another 288 yards (10.7 avg.), and returned 20 kickoffs for a
16.6-yard average. Gray scored the
winning TD in the third overtime period in a playoff game against the Michigan
Panthers and sufferered a broken arm on the play. He followed up with 526
rushing yards in 1985 along with 20 catches for 101 yards and an 18.5 average
on 11 kickoff returns. With the demise of the USFL, where he compiled1151 yards
on 258 carries (4.5 avg.), 389 yards on 47 pass receptions, and a 17.3-yard
average on 31 kickoff returns, he moved on to the Saints, who chose him in the
second round of the 1984 NFL supplemental draft. Used
almost exclusively as a kick returner, Gray averaged 27.9 yards on 31 kickoff
returns in 1986 that included a touchdown.
1987 Season Summary
Appeared in 12
of 15 games
[Bracketed
numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]
Kickoff
Returns
Returns – 30
[6]
Yards – 636 [6]
Most yards,
game – 108 (on 5 ret.) vs. Cleveland 9/13
Average per
return – 21.2 [16]
TDs – 0
Longest
return – 43 yards
Punt Returns
Returns – 24
[11, tied with Scott Schwedes, Bobby Futrell & Kenny Johnson]
Yards – 352 [7]
Most yards,
game – 130 (on 2 ret.) vs. Tampa Bay 12/6
Average per
return – 14.7 [1]
TDs – 0
Longest
return – 80 yards
Pass
Receiving
Receptions – 6
Yards – 30
Average gain
– 5.0
TDs – 0
Rushing
Attempts – 8
Yards – 37
Average gain
– 4.6
TDs – 1
Scoring
TDs – 1
Points – 6
Postseason: 1 G (NFC Wild Card playoff vs.
Minnesota)
Kickoff
returns – 1
Kickoff
return yds. – 16
Kickoff
return TDs – 0
Punt returns
– 1
Punt return
yds. – 0
Punt return
TDs – 0
Awards &
Honors:
1st
team All-NFL: PFWA, Pro Football Weekly, Sporting News
1st
team All-NFC: Pro Football Weekly
Saints went 12-3
to finish second in the NFC West in thestrike-shortened season (three games
were played with replacement players) to finish second in the NFC West and
qualified for the postseason as a wild card. Lost AFC Wild Card playoff to
Minnesota Vikings (44-10).
Aftermath:
Gray spent
one more season with New Orleans before signing with the Detroit Lions in 1989.
He continued to excel as a kick returner leading the NFL with a 15.4-yard punt
return average and 25.8-yard kickoff return average in1991 and a 28.4-yard
kickoff return average in 1994. He moved on to the Houston Oilers in 1995 and
split his last season in 1997 between the Oilers and Philadelphia
Eagles.Overall in the NFL, Gray returned 421 kickoffs for an average of 24.3
yards with six touchdowns and 252 punts for a 10.9-yard average and another
three TDs. He received consensus first-team All-NFL recognition three times, at
least some All-NFL honors following five other seasons and was named to four
Pro Bowls.
--
Highlighted Years features players who were consensus first-team
All-League* selections or league* or conference** leaders in the following
statistical categories:
Rushing:
Yards, TDs (min. 10)
Passing:
Yards, Completion Pct., Yards per Attempt, TDs, Rating
Receiving:
Catches, Yards, TDs (min. 10)
Scoring: TDs,
Points, Field Goals (min. 5)
All-Purpose:
Total Yards
Defense:
Interceptions, Sacks
Kickoff
Returns: Average
Punt Returns:
Average
Punting:
Average
*Leagues
include NFL (1920 to date), AFL (1926), AFL (1936-37), AAFC (1946-49), AFL
(1960-69), WFL (1974-75), USFL (1983-85)
**NFC/AFC
since 1970
