Jerry Gray to be Inducted in the College Football Hall of Fame
The National Football Foundation announced online today the inductees for the 2013 class for the College Football Hall of Fame.
Former Texas Longhorns Safety and Estacado High School standout Jerry Gray were selected for the 2013 class.
Known as one of the fiercest defensive stalwarts of the old Southwest Conference, Jerry Gray was instrumental in helping the Texas defense shut down some of the decade’s most high-powered offenses. He becomes the 15th Longhorn to be selected to the College Football Hall of Fame.
A two-time First-Team All-American (consensus – 1983, unanimous – 1984), Gray led Texas to four consecutive bowl games, including a 1982 Cotton Bowl victory and a No. 2 final national ranking. He was a two-time Southwest Conference Player of the Year (1983, 1984), and he helped the Longhorns win the 1983 conference title under coach Fred Akers. The two-time team MVP recorded 297 career tackles, 16 interceptions, and 20 pass breakups during his time in Austin.
Taken in the first round of the 1985 NFL Draft by the Los Angeles Rams, Gray enjoyed a nine-year career, playing for the Rams, Houston Oilers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers and appearing in four Pro Bowls. Gray has served as the defensive coordinator for the Tennessee Titans since the 2011 season.
Gray established the Jerry Gray Foundation for underprivileged youth, which provides athletic and academic scholarships. He also founded and coordinated the Jerry Gray/Young Life Skills and Leadership Football Camp, and he is active in the Boys and Girls Club of Orchard Park and the United Way. Gray became a member of the Longhorn Hall of Honor in 1996.
Other inductees to the class are quarterback Vinny Testaverde (Miami, FL), running back Ted Brown (NC State), linebacker Tedy Bruschi (Arizona), RB Ron Dayne (Wisconsin), QB Tommie Frazier (NEB), and Offensive Lineman Orlando Pace (Ohio State).
The official induction will be December 10 in New York City.