Wyndol Woodrow Gray (March 30, 1922 – March 20, 1994) was an American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player. He was the brother of Cortez Gray, who was also a professional basketball player. Gray played at Akron South High School in

Akron, Ohio Akron () is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Summit County. It is located on the western edge of the Glaciated Allegheny Plateau, about south of downtown Cleveland. As of the 2020 Census, the city prop ...

and went on to play collegiately at

Bowling Green State University Bowling Green State University (BGSU) is a public research university in Bowling Green, Ohio. The main academic and residential campus is south of Toledo, Ohio. The university has nationally recognized programs and research facilities in the ...

in 1942. At the time, freshmen were allowed to play to compensate for a shortage of college-age players due to World War II. Gray played on future Hall of Fame coach Harold Anderson's first team at Bowling Green. He led the team in scoring at 22.3 points per game and the Falcons went 18–4.2009-10 Bowling Green men's basketball media guide
accessed October 2, 2010 Gray joined the

Navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It in ...

after the season, and returned to Bowling Green for the 1944–45 season as a part of the

V-12 Navy College Training Program The V-12 Navy College Training Program was designed to supplement the force of commissioned officers in the United States Navy during World War II. Between July 1, 1943, and June 30, 1946, more than 125,000 participants were enrolled in 131 colleg ...

and, along with big man Don Otten, led the Falcons to the final of the

1945 National Invitation Tournament The 1945 National Invitation Tournament was the 1945 edition of the annual NCAA college basketball competition. Selected teams Below is a list of the eight teams selected for the tournament.

, where they were defeated by the

George Mikan George Lawrence Mikan Jr. (; June 18, 1924 – June 1, 2005), nicknamed "Mr. Basketball", was an American professional basketball player for the Chicago American Gears of the National Basketball League (NBL) and the Minneapolis Lakers of ...

-led

DePaul Blue Demons The DePaul Blue Demons are the athletic teams that represent DePaul University, located in Chicago, Illinois. The Blue Demons participate in NCAA Division I and are a member of the Big East Conference. DePaul’s Athletic Director is DeWayne P ...

. After the season, Gray was named a consensus first team All-American – Bowling Green's first in basketball. In 1945–46, Gray played at Harvard. There he led the Crimson to their first NCAA tournament appearance and at the conclusion of the season he was named a second team All-American by the '' Sporting News'' magazine, giving him the unusual distinction of being named an All-American at two different universities. After his college career was over, Gray played for Honey Russell on the first Boston Celtics team in 1946–47. He played in 55 of the team's 60 games and finished third on the team in scoring at 6.4 points per game. The following season, the Celtics traded Gray to the St. Louis Bombers for guard Cecil Hankins. Eleven games into his Bombers career, Gray was again traded, this time to the

Providence Steamrollers The Providence Steamrollers were a Basketball Association of America team based in Providence, Rhode Island. As of 2022, the Steamrollers were the last professional sports franchise from one of the Big Four leagues to be based in Rhode Island. ...

for forward Ariel Maughan. Gray's Steamrollers career lasted only one game.Basketball-reference.com
/ref> Gray, who is one of only four Harvard players to play in the NBA, died on March 20, 1994.

BAA career statistics

Regular season

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gray, Wyndol 1922 births 1994 deaths All-American college men's basketball players American men's basketball players Basketball players from Akron, Ohio Boston Celtics players Bowling Green Falcons men's basketball players Forwards (basketball) Guards (basketball) Harvard Crimson men's basketball players Providence Steamrollers players St. Louis Bombers (NBA) players Toledo Jeeps players United States Navy personnel of World War II United States Navy officers