Mel Gray

Melvin Dean Gray (born September 29, 1948) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for the St. Louis Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL) from 1971 to 1982. He attended college at the University of Missouri.

Early life Gray attended Montgomery High School in Santa Rosa, California, the football standout was also a track and field star. While winning the 100-yard dash at the 1967 CIF California State Meet, Gray set not only the meet record but the National High School record of 9.4 in the event at the time. His meet record lasted until 1979.

College career He accepted a scholarship to the University of Missouri and became a football and track and field star. Gray was an All-American sprinter and was a Grand Slam winner in the 100-meter dash in 1970, capturing titles at the Texas, Kansas, and Drake relays. Gray was a five-time Big Eight Conference sprint champion, winning the indoor 60-yard dash (1970), and the 100- and 220-yard dashes outdoors in 1969 and 1970. He is the co-holder of the MU records in all three races, with times of 6.0 seconds, 9.2 seconds, and 20.3 seconds, respectively. Gray was also an all-Big Eight performer in 1969 when he caught 25 passes for 705 yards and a school-record nine touchdowns. He held the school record for career receiving yards (1,491) for 20 years and was named to the Mizzou All-Century Team in 1990.

Professional career

In the 1971 NFL draft, Gray was a sixth-round pick of the St. Louis Cardinals. He was selected to four straight Pro Bowls (1974–1977). Gray was one of the most feared deep threats in the NFL throughout the 1970s. Twenty-eight of his forty-six career touchdown receptions were more than 40 yards long. He was the league co-leader in touchdown receptions in 1975 and averaged almost 19 yards per catch during his career. Gray also caught passes in 121 consecutive games between 1973 and 1982.

NFL career statistics Legend Led the league Bold Career high

Regular season Year Team Games Receiving GP GS Rec Yds Avg Lng TD 1971 STL 14 5 18 534 29.7 80 4 1972 STL 7 1 3 62 20.7 33 0 1973 STL 12 9 29 513 17.7 80 7 1974 STL 14 14 39 770 19.7 80 6 1975 STL 14 14 48 926 19.3 74 11 1976 STL 11 11 36 686 19.1 77 5 1977 STL 14 14 38 782 20.6 69 5 1978 STL 13 12 44 871 19.8 74 1 1979 STL 13 13 25 447 17.9 78 1 1980 STL 16 16 40 709 17.7 69 3 1981 STL 12 12 27 310 11.5 41 2 1982 STL 5 0 4 34 8.5 13 0 145 121 351 6,644 18.9 80 45

Playoffs Year Team Games Receiving GP GS Rec Yds Avg Lng TD 1974 STL 1 1 5 77 15.4 29 0 1975 STL 1 1 3 52 17.3 23 1 2 2 8 129 16.1 29 1

Awards

Gray is a member of the University of Missouri Hall of Fame, the St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame, and the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame.