Hall of Fame
One of the select few to advance from the Rockets to the NFL was Jim Gray. A native of White Plains, NY, Gray lettered in football as a defensive back and halfback from 1962-64, often playing 60 minutes per game. He was also a speedster on the track team, running a 9.7 100-yard dash to place third in the MAC. He also ran on the All-MAC 440 and mile relay team, and competed in the broad jump. He played in the American Football Coaches All-America Game in the summer of 1965, where he played for the East team coached by Notre Dame's Ara Parseghian. Gray's best season came in 1963 when he rushed for 645 yards on 114 carries, gained 311 yards on kickoff returns, 212 yards on punt returns and 168 passing yards for a total of 1,336 all-purpose yards. Also in 1963, Gray recorded the second-longest run from scrimmage (88 yards) in school history vs. Bowling Green. The same year, Gray had punt returns of 63 and 98 yards (both for touchdowns) against Dayton, and ran a kickoff 89 yards for another score against the Flyers. As a senior in 1964, Gray ran for 384 yards on 105 carries and caught 18 passes for 195 yards; Gray graduated from the College of Business in 1964, and went on to be an 11th-round draft pick of the AFL's New York Jets that year. He served as a cornerback and kick returner for the Jets and later for the NFL's Philadelphia Eagles. Gray currently serves as the owner and president of Jim Gray Productions, a television production business in White Plains, New York.Â
