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Mel Gray (return Specialist)
Melvin Junius Gray (born March 16, 1961) is an American former professional football player who was a kickoff returner in the National Football League (NFL). He played with the New Orleans Saints, Detroit Lions, Houston/Tennessee Oilers and Philadelphia Eagles. He began his professional career for the Los Angeles Express of the United States Football League (USFL), following his college football career as a running back at Purdue. Gray attended Lafayette High School in Williamsburg, Virginia, where he was teammates with future NFL players Lawrence Taylor and Ron Springs. Gray is widely considered to be one of the greatest return specialists of all-time in the NFL. He holds the record for being the first, second, and third-oldest player to return a kickoff for a touchdown (33 years, 276 days; 33 years, 235 days; and 33 years, 221 days). Early life and college career Gray was a standout athlete at Lafayette High School in Williamsburg, Virginia. He was named to the All- ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1994 All-Pro Team
The 1994 All-Pro Team is composed of the National Football League players that were named to the Associated Press, Pro Football Writers Association, and ''The Sporting News The ''Sporting News'' is a website and former magazine publication owned by Sporting News Holdings, which is a U.S.-based sports media company formed in December 2020 by a private investor consortium. It was originally established in 1886 as a pr ...'' All-Pro Teams in 1994. Both first and second teams are listed for the AP team. These are the three teams that are included in ''Total Football II: The Official Encyclopedia of the National Football League''. In 1994 the Pro Football Writers Association and Pro Football Weekly combined their All-pro teams, a practice with continues through 2008. Teams Key * AP = Associated Press first-team All-Pro * AP-2 = Associated Press second-team All-Pro * PFWA = Pro Football Writers Association All-NFL * TSN = ''The Sporting News'' All-Pro ReferencesPro-Football-Referen ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
United States Football League
The United States Football League (USFL) was a professional American football league that played for three seasons, 1983 through 1985. The league played a spring/summer schedule in each of its active seasons. The 1986 season was scheduled to be played in the autumn/winter, directly competing against the long-established National Football League (NFL). However, the USFL ceased operations before that season was scheduled to begin. The ideas behind the USFL were conceived in 1965 by New Orleans businessman David Dixon, who saw a market for a professional football league that would play in the summer, when the National Football League and college football were in their off-season. Dixon had been a key player in the construction of the Louisiana Superdome and the expansion of the NFL into New Orleans in 1967. He developed "The Dixon Plan"—a blueprint for the USFL based upon securing NFL-caliber stadiums in top TV markets, securing a national TV broadcast contract, and controlling ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Houston Oilers
The Houston Oilers were a professional American football team that played in Houston from its founding in 1960 to 1996 before relocating to Memphis, and later Nashville, Tennessee becoming the Tennessee Titans. The Oilers began play in 1960 as a charter member of the American Football League (AFL). The team won two AFL championships before joining the NFL as part of the AFL–NFL merger in the late 1960s. The Oilers competed in the AFL's East division – along with the Buffalo Bills, the New York Jets and the Boston Patriots – before the merger, after which they joined the newly formed AFC Central. Throughout their existence the team was owned by Bud Adams. For the majority of their time in Houston, the team played their home games at the Astrodome, while Jeppesen Stadium and Rice Stadium hosted the team for their first eight years. The Houston Oilers were the first champions of the American Football League, winning the 1960 and 1961 contests, but they never ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada and the highest professional level of American football in the world. Each NFL season begins with a three-week preseason in August, followed by the 18-week regular season which runs from early September to early January, with each team playing 17 games and having one bye week In sport, a bye is the preferential status of a player or team that is automatically advanced to the next round of a tournament, without having to play an opponent in an early round. In knockout (elimination) tournaments they can be granted eit .... Following the conclusion of the regular season, seven teams from each conference (four division winners and three wild card teams) advance to the p ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kickoff Returner
A return specialist or kick returner is a player on the special teams unit of a gridiron football team who specializes in returning punts and kickoffs. There are few players who are exclusively return specialists; most also play another position such as wide receiver, defensive back, or running back. The special teams counterpart of a return specialist is a kicking specialist. According to All-American Venric Mark, "Returning punts is harder. You have to judge the ball more, you have to know when to fair catch and when not to. You can't be a superhero and try to catch everything. With kickoff returns, you catch the ball and — boom — you're going." Kickoff returner A kickoff returner (KR) is the player on special teams who is primarily responsible for catching the opposing team's kickoff and attempting to run it towards the end zone to score a touchdown. If the ball is kicked into his own end zone, the kick returner must assess the situation on the field while the ball is i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
American Football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with possession of the oval-shaped football, attempts to advance down the field by running with the ball or passing it, while the defense, the team without possession of the ball, aims to stop the offense's advance and to take control of the ball for themselves. The offense must advance at least ten yards in four downs or plays; if they fail, they turn over the football to the defense, but if they succeed, they are given a new set of four downs to continue the drive. Points are scored primarily by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone for a touchdown or kicking the ball through the opponent's goalposts for a field goal. The team with the most points at the end of a game wins. American football evolved in the United States, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Detroit Lions 75th Anniversary Team
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit. The franchise was founded in Portsmouth, Ohio, as the Portsmouth Spartans, and joined the NFL on July 12, 1930. Amid financial struggles, the franchise was relocated to Detroit in 1934. The team were also renamed the Lions in reference to the city's Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise, the Tigers. The Lions won four NFL Championship Games between 1935 and 1957, all prior to the Super Bowl era. Since the 1957 championship, the franchise has won only a single playoff game during the 1991 season and holds the league's longest postseason win drought. While they share the distinction of never appearing in a Super Bowl with the Cleveland Browns, Houston Texans, and Jacksonville Jaguars, they are the only franchise ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
NFL 1990s All-Decade Team
The NFL 1990s All-Decade Team was chosen by voters of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The team was composed of outstanding performers in the National Football League in the 1990s. The squad consists of first- and second-team offensive, defensive and special teams units, as well as a first- and second-team head coaches. Only a person's performance in the 1990s was used as criteria for voting. Bruce Matthews, Jerry Rice, Barry Sanders, Bruce Smith and Reggie White were unanimous choices. Deion Sanders and Mel Gray were the only players to make the team at two positions. Sanders was named first-team cornerback and punt returner while Gray made the second team as both a kick and punt returner. Morten Andersen, Gary Anderson, Sean Landeta, Ronnie Lott, Gary Zimmerman, Jerry Rice, Bruce Smith, and Reggie White were first named to the 1980s All-Decade Team. Larry Allen, Warren Sapp, and Willie Roaf were also named to the 2000s All-Decade Team. Offense Defense Special teams ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
NFL Kickoff Return Yards Leader ...
This is a list of National Football League kickoff returners who have led the regular season in kickoff return yards each year. Kick return yards leaders As per ''Pro Football Reference and The Football Database.'' ''New NFL Record'' See also * List of National Football League career kickoff return yards leaders References {{DEFAULTSORT:National Football League season kickoff return yards leaders Kickoff return yards leaders National Football League records and achievements List of National Football League annual kickoff return yards leaders This is a list of National Football League kickoff returners who have led the regular season In an organized sports league, a typical season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session: for example, in Major Le ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1995 Pro Bowl
The 1995 Pro Bowl was the NFL's all-star game for the 1994 season. The game was played on February 5, 1995, at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii. The final Score was AFC 41, NFC 13. This was the AFC's largest margin of victory since the AFL-NFL merger. Rookie Marshall Faulk of the Indianapolis Colts rushed for a Pro Bowl record 180 yards and was the game's MVP. Chris Warren of the Seattle Seahawks added 127 yards rushing as the AFC posted records for rushing yards (400) and total yards (552). Both Warren and Faulk broke the Pro Bowl rushing record, formerly held by O. J. Simpson. The coaches were Dallas’ Barry Switzer and Bill Cowher of the Pittsburgh Steelers. The game was viewed by 49,121 at Aloha Stadium. The referee was Larry Nemmers. Rosters AFC Roster QB Drew Bledsoe – N.E. John Elway – DEN Jeff Hostetler – L.A. Dan Marino – MIA RB Leroy Hoard – CLE Marshall Faulk – IND Natrone Means – SD Eric Metcalf – CLE Chris Warren – SEA WR Tim Brown – L ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1993 Pro Bowl
The 1993 Pro Bowl was the NFL's all-star game for the 1992 season. The game was played on February 7, 1993, at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii. The final score was AFC — 23, NFC — 20. Steve Tasker of the Buffalo Bills was the game's MVP. This was the first Pro Bowl to go into overtime. All four starting linebackers of the New Orleans Saints, who were collectively nicknamed the Dome Patrol, were part of the NFC squad. The Dome Patrol consisted of Rickey Jackson, Sam Mills, Vaughan Johnson, and Pat Swilling. The game's referee was Howard Roe. Game summary Nick Lowery's 33-yard field goal 4:09 into the extra period gave the AFC a 23–20 victory in the annual pro football all star game. The AFC won despite being dominated by the NFC in first downs 30–9, and in total yards gained 471–114. The AFC was able to capitalize on 6 forced turnovers, two blocked field goals (one of which was returned for a touchdown), and an interception that was taken back for six points. Sp ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
