Gerald D. Irons Sr. (May 2, 1947 – April 1, 2021) was an American professional
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
player who played ten seasons in the
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 ...
(NFL). His youngest son
Grant Irons
Grant Michael Irons (born July 7, 1979) is a former American football defensive end. He played in 43 career games for the University of Notre Dame, making 26 starts at numerous positions on defense. He started playing for the Buffalo Bills in ...
played for the
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team that played in Oakland from its founding in 1960 to 1981 and again from 1995 to 2019 before relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan area where they now play as the Las Vegas Raide ...
. Eldest son Gerald, Jr. played for the
Nebraska Cornhuskers
The Nebraska Cornhuskers (often abbreviated to Huskers) are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. The university is a member of the Big Ten Conference, and the Cornhuskers compete in NCAA Divis ...
and middle son
Jarrett was the fifth junior elected captain for the
Michigan Wolverines
The Michigan Wolverines comprise 29 varsity sports teams at the University of Michigan. These teams compete in the NCAA's Division I and in the Big Ten Conference in all sports except women's water polo, which competes in the NCAA inter-divisio ...
. He had several nephews and great-nephews who have played in the NFL,
David Irons
David Irons Jr. (born October 9, 1982) is a former American football cornerback. He was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the sixth round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football at Auburn.
Irons also played for the Florida Tuskers ...
,
Kenny Irons
Kenny Irons (born September 15, 1983) is a former American football running back. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the second round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football at Auburn.
He is the brother of former Atlanta Falc ...
and
Paul Irons
Paul Irons (born December 23, 1983) is a former American football tight end for Team Michigan of the All American Football League. Irons previously played in the National Football League for the Cleveland Browns and in college for Florida Stat ...
. Gerald has been listed among the 100 greatest
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference ( ...
of all time.
Education
Irons earned his Bachelor of Science Degree in business administration from the
University of Maryland Eastern Shore
University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) is a public historically black land-grant research university in Princess Anne, Maryland. It is part of the University System of Maryland. It is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High r ...
(formerly Maryland State College). During his time in college,he was captain of the football team, Student Government Association vice-president, and a member of the
Fellowship of Christian Athletes
The Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) is an international non-profit Christian sports ministry founded in 1954 and based in Kansas City, Missouri. It has staff offices located throughout the United States and abroad.
History
FCA was found ...
, and joined
Kappa Alpha Psi
Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. () is a historically African American fraternity. Since the fraternity's founding on January 5, 1911 at Indiana University Bloomington, the fraternity has never restricted membership on the basis of color, creed ...
fraternity. In 1984, he was inducted into the UMES Football Hall of Fame.
He earned a master's degree in business administration from
The University of Chicago
The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the be ...
over six off-seasons, while playing professional football as a linebacker for the Oakland Raiders.
He attended Cleveland Marshall College of Law at night, while playing linebacker with the Cleveland Browns for four years. Cleveland, Ohio Jaycees named him “Man of the Year.”
Life after football
After ten years in the NFL, he retired from football and moved his family to Texas. Five years after arriving in Texas, the Osaka Japan Jaycees selected him to represent the United States at its worldwide “Ten Outstanding Young Persons Conference,” held for 10 days in Osaka. During the conference, he met with the Crown Prince, Crown Princess, and Prime Minister. The Mayor of Osaka presented him with a gold key to the city of Osaka. He was fluent in Japanese.
Irons was a past president of the
Conroe Independent School District
Conroe Independent School District (CISD) is a school district in Montgomery County, Texas. The district's headquarters are located in the Deane L. Sadler Administration/Technology Center in Conroe. The CISD area, which covers , is part of the ...
Board of Trustees. He served on the CISD Board for over two decades.
He was a sought-after motivational speaker, a graduate of the Houston FBI Citizens Academy, community board member of Texas Children’s Hospital and Memorial Hermann Hospital.
Professional life
After retiring from football, Gerald transitioned from the gridiron to the business world. He worked for 32 years with The Woodlands Development Company, a division of the
Howard Hughes Corporation
The Howard Hughes Corporation is a real estate development and management company based in The Woodlands, Texas. It was formed in 2010 as a spin-off from General Growth Properties (GGP). Most of its holdings are focused on several master-planned ...
, located in
The Woodlands,
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
, a 30,000-acre master planned community. As the Vice President of Business Development, Gerald led the relocation of hundreds of companies to The Woodlands. He became Sr. Vice President of Business Development.
He was also on the field during the immaculate reception watching Franco Harris score the game winning touchdown in a huge playoff game.
Personal life
Irons was married for 50 years to Myrna. They have raised three sons, all graduates of Conroe ISD high schools. All five members of The Irons Family were selected and honored by The Woodlands residents as "Original Hometown Heroes" at The Woodlands 25th Year Celebration.
Irons retired after 22 years of service of the CISD School Board, and a school, Gerald D. Irons, Sr. Junior High School, was named in his honor. The school, a feeder school for
Oak Ridge High School, opened in August 2012 near
Conroe.
Irons was an Elder and Founding Member of Impact Church of The Woodlands.
Death
After a battle with Parkinson's Disease, Gerald D. Irons, Sr., died on April 1, 2021, in The Woodlands, Texas, surrounded by his family.
References
External links
Conroeisd
{{DEFAULTSORT:Irons, Gerald
1947 births
2021 deaths
Players of American football from Gary, Indiana
American football linebackers
Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks football players
Oakland Raiders players
Cleveland Browns players
School board members in Texas
20th-century African-American sportspeople
21st-century African-American people
Irons family (American football)