Dolly Gray impostor

The Dolly Gray impostor, also known as Jack "Dolly" Gray, was an unknown American football player who played for the St. Louis All-Stars and Green Bay Packers during the 1923 National Football League (NFL) season. The impostor played under an alias, claiming to be an All-American from Princeton University in 1922; the only known player with the surname "Gray" to be awarded consensus All-American honors at Princeton in 1922 was Howdy Gray, who was also an end.

The impostor first tricked Ollie Kraehe, the owner and player-coach of the All-Stars. However, after a few games of poor play on the field, Kraehe realized his error. Instead of releasing "Gray", he exchanged him for cash with the Packers. "Gray" played only one game for the Packers and then disappeared. A few weeks later, Packers head coach Curly Lambeau cornered Kraehe after a game against the All-Stars; Kraehe admitted to the deception but said that it was only done as a joke. The impostor's identity remains unknown.

Background Howard Kramer "Howdy" Gray played as an end for the 1922 Princeton Tigers football team, He was the only known player with the surname "Gray" to be awarded consensus All-American honors at Princeton in 1922; he was also part of the 1922 College Football All-America Team. On September 29, 1923, the Green Bay Press-Gazette reported that "Howard 'Dolly' Gray, regular left end on the Princeton varsity team of last season, is the latest addition" to the St. Louis All-Stars, a recently formed NFL team owned by Ollie Kraehe. A St. Louis newspaper noted that a "Jack Gray" injured his shoulder during the game. "Gray" was mentioned in various game summaries in local newspapers for the rest of the month, likely playing in his last game for St. Louis on October 21. A few weeks later, the Packers played the All-Stars again, winning 3–0. After the game, Curly Lambeau cornered Kraehe and questioned him about "Gray". Lambeau stated that "Gray" played poorly and then disappeared after boarding the train for the team's game against St. Louis. Kraehe admitted to the ruse, saying that it was done as a joke and that he had always intended to return the money the Packers spent to purchase "Gray". St. Louis' team was dissolved at the end of the season, while the true identity of the impostor remained unknown.

Identity Packers historian Cliff Christl noted in a 2024 article that the true identity of the impostor is unlikely to ever be solved. He noted a few challenges: "Goodbye, Dolly Gray" was a common battle chant during the 1898 Spanish-American War and the name "Dolly Gray" was extremely common, both for men and women. Additionally, three separate names, all with the surname "Gray", were used by various newspapers to reference an end from Princeton who played in 1922. In addition to the impostor merely fooling everyone, Christl also speculated that the All-Stars may have used the signing as a publicity stunt or that early sportswriters were "guilty of puffery" after assuming that "Gray" was the famous end from Princeton.