Kenneth Don Gray (March 10, 1936 – November 25, 2017) was an American

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 ...

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison ...

who played 13 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) for the

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

/ St. Louis Cardinals and the

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 ...

. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

for three seasons with the Howard Payne Yellow Jackets.

Professional career

The

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...

selected him in the sixth round of the

1958 NFL draft The 1958 National Football League draft had its first four rounds held on December 2, 1957, and its final twenty-six rounds on January 28, 1958. Both sessions were held at the Warwick Hotel in Philadelphia. This was the 12th and final year in ...

(62nd pick overall) and he was the final player cut by Packer coach Scooter McLean in training camp prior to the regular NFL season that year. Other NFL teams contacted Gray to try out and he settled on the Chicago Cardinals because he would be driving through Illinois from Green Bay to Texas. His first NFL contract, in 1958, paid him $6,000. He earned All-Pro notice seven consecutive seasons (1963–1969) and six

Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players. The format has changed thro ...

Coaching career

After retiring as a player, he served for three years (1973–1975) as head coach at his high school alma mater,

Llano High School Llano High School is a public high school located in Llano, Texas (USA) and classified as a 3A school by the UIL. It is part of the Llano Independent School District located in central Llano County. In 2013, the school was rated " Met Standar ...

and offensive line coach for the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquart ...

and reached

Super Bowl XII Super Bowl XII was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Dallas Cowboys and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Denver Broncos to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the ...

, where they lost against the Dallas Cowboys.

Honors

In 2016, he was inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame along with former University of Texas head football coach

Fred Akers Fred Akers (March 17, 1938 – December 7, 2020) was an American college football player and coach. He served as head football coach at the University of Wyoming (1975–1976), the University of Texas at Austin (1977–1986), and Purdue Universit ...

, former Dallas Cowboys offensive lineman Larry Allen and former Major League Baseball pitcher Andy Pettitte. He earned a spot on the St. Louis Cardinals All-Time Team. In 2018, the

Professional Football Researchers Association The Professional Football Researchers Association (PFRA) is an organization of researchers whose mission is to preserve and, in some cases, reconstruct professional football history. It was founded on June 22, 1979 in Canton, Ohio by writer/hist ...

named Gray to the PFRA Hall of Very Good Class of 2018.

Personal life

Ken met his longtime wife, Shirley, in high school and married soon after.

Death

Gray died in Llano, Texas, where he lived on November 25, 2017, at the age of 81.Llano football legend, former NFL player Ken Gray dies at 81
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References

1936 births 2017 deaths People from San Saba, Texas People from Llano, Texas American Christians Christians from Texas Players of American football from San Saba County, Texas American football offensive guards Howard Payne Yellow Jackets football players Chicago Cardinals players St. Louis Cardinals (football) players Houston Oilers players Green Bay Packers players Eastern Conference Pro Bowl players Coaches of American football from Texas Denver Broncos coaches {{offensive-lineman-1930s-stub