Gray came to Missouri from Santa Rosa, California, as MU’s first “speed merchant,” lettering in football and track from 1968-70. He was all-Big Eight Conference in 1969, when he caught 25 passes for 705 yards and a school-record nine touchdowns. He held the school record for career receiving yardage (1,491) for 20 years, and his career record for receiving TDs (14) stood for 29 years. He was chosen to MU’s all-century team in 1990. Gray was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals and was a four-time all-pro receiver during a career that lasted from 1971-82. His career numbers in the NFL were 351 receptions for 6,644 yards and 45 touchdowns. He caught passes in 121 consecutive games and was first-team all-pro in 1975. On the track, Gray was an all-American once indoors and twice outdoors. He won the Grand Slam in the 100-meter dash in 1970, taking titles at the Texas, Kansas and Drake Relays. He was a five-time Big Eight Conference sprint champion, winning the indoor 60-yard dash (1970), and the 100 and 220-yard dashes outdoors in 1969 and ‘70. He is the co-holder of the MU records in all three races, with respective times of 6.0 seconds, 9.3 seconds and 20.4 seconds. In 1967, running in the CIF California state meet, he set the national high school record in the 100 at 9.4 seconds – a mark that stood until 1979. He was inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in 2012 and the St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame in 2013.
