Carlton Gray
Encyclopedia
Carlton Patrick Gray is a former American football
defensive back
in the National Football League
. He was drafted
in the second round of the 1993 NFL Draft
by the Seattle Seahawks
. He played for the Seahawks (1993–1996), the Indianapolis Colts
(1997), the New York Giants
(1998), the Kansas City Chiefs
(1999–2000), and the Cincinnati Bengals
(2001).
in Cincinnati and was a prep standout in football
, basketball
, and track. He was awarded the Dial Award
for the national high school scholar-athlete of the year in 1988. His grandfather, Benjamin Hooks
, retired as the executive director
of the NAACP
.
and was a four year starter
and earned first-team All-America
n honors as a senior, as well as first-team All-Pac-10 accolades. He finished second all time in UCLA history with 16 interceptions
. Only Kenny Easley
, who ironically played for the Seahawks in the 1980s, had more with 19. In 1989, he became the first freshman in a decade to start at least eight games for UCLA. In 1991, Gray finished second in the nation with 10 interceptions. After his senior year in 1992, Gray was in the Hula Bowl
and East-West Shrine Game
.
year he played in ten games, starting two of them. He missed the final six games of the regular season due to an ankle injury. He also recorded a sack
in 1993. In 1994, he played in 11 games before breaking his arm against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
in week 11 and missed the rest of the season. Both 1995 and 1996, Carlton played in all 16 games. In 1995, Gray had his most productive season as a pro, being second on the Seahawks with four interceptions. He also had a career high 68 solo tackles
and 5 assisted tackles. On February 16, 1996, he re-signed with the Seahawks. During his four seasons with the Seahawks, he had a total of nine interceptions, with zero in 1996, and one sack.
. During his one season with the Colts, he had 20 tackles, four assisted, and two interceptions. On September 3, 1998, the Colts released Gray because cornerback
Tyrone Poole
returned from an injury.
and Mark McMillian
. The 1999 season, he played in all 16 games, yet only had ten tackles and no interceptions. During a scrimmage at River Falls
in 2000, the Chiefs were scrimmaging the New Orleans Saints
, and while a Saints player was at the bottom of the pile, Gray sucker punched him. After that, he rarely played, appearing in only four games.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
defensive back
Defensive back
In American football and Canadian football, defensive backs are the players on the defensive team who take positions somewhat back from the line of scrimmage; they are distinguished from the defensive line players and linebackers, who take positions directly behind or close to the line of...
in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
. He was drafted
NFL Draft
The National Football League Draft is an annual event in which the National Football League teams select eligible college football players and it is their most common source of player recruitment. The basic design of the draft is each team is given a position in the drafting order in reverse order...
in the second round of the 1993 NFL Draft
1993 NFL Draft
The 1993 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 25-26, 1993...
by the Seattle Seahawks
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team...
. He played for the Seahawks (1993–1996), the Indianapolis Colts
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....
(1997), the New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
(1998), the Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a...
(1999–2000), and the Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL...
(2001).
High school
He went to Forest Park High SchoolWinton Woods High School (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Winton Woods High School is a public high school located in Forest Park, just north of Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. It is the only high school in the Winton Woods City School District...
in Cincinnati and was a prep standout in football
High school football
High school football, in North America, refers to the game of football as it is played in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both of these nations....
, basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, and track. He was awarded the Dial Award
Dial Award
For the literary award presented by The Dial magazine in the 1920s, see The Dial.The Dial Award was presented annually by the Dial Corporation to the male and female American high-school athlete/scholar of the year.-Awardees:...
for the national high school scholar-athlete of the year in 1988. His grandfather, Benjamin Hooks
Benjamin Hooks
Benjamin Lawson Hooks was an American civil rights leader. A Baptist minister and practicing attorney, he served as executive director of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People from 1977 to 1992, and throughout his career was a vocal campaigner for civil rights in the...
, retired as the executive director
Executive director
Executive director is a term sometimes applied to the chief executive officer or managing director of an organization, company, or corporation. It is widely used in North American non-profit organizations, though in recent decades many U.S. nonprofits have adopted the title "President/CEO"...
of the NAACP
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, usually abbreviated as NAACP, is an African-American civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909. Its mission is "to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to...
.
College
Gray went to UCLAUniversity of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
and was a four year starter
Starting lineup
A starting lineup in sports is an official list of the set of players who will actively participate in the event when the game begins. The players in the starting lineup are commonly referred to as starters, whereas the others are substitutes or bench players.The starters are commonly the best...
and earned first-team All-America
All-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
n honors as a senior, as well as first-team All-Pac-10 accolades. He finished second all time in UCLA history with 16 interceptions
Interception (football)
An interception, intercept or pick is a move in many forms of football, including Canadian and American football, as well as rugby league, rugby union, Australian rules football and Gaelic football, which involves a pass, either by foot or hand, being caught by an opposition player, who usually...
. Only Kenny Easley
Kenny Easley
Kenny Mason Easley Jr. is a former American football strong safety who played seven seasons for the Seattle Seahawks from 1981 to 1987 in the National Football League...
, who ironically played for the Seahawks in the 1980s, had more with 19. In 1989, he became the first freshman in a decade to start at least eight games for UCLA. In 1991, Gray finished second in the nation with 10 interceptions. After his senior year in 1992, Gray was in the Hula Bowl
Hula Bowl
The Hula Bowl was an independently administered post-season invitational college football game held each year in Hawaii from 1947 to 2008. The game was last played at Aloha Stadium in the Hālawa district of Honolulu, Hawaii. At one point the longest-running sporting event in Hawaii, it had been...
and East-West Shrine Game
East-West Shrine Game
The East–West Shrine Game is an annual post-season college football all-star game played each January since 1925. The game is sponsored by the fraternal group Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, and the net proceeds are earmarked to some of the Shrine's charitable works, most notably the Shriners...
.
Seattle Seahawks
In the 1993 NFL Draft, Gray was selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the second round with the first pick (30th overall). On July 22, 1993, he officially signed with the Seahawks. His rookieRookie
Rookie is a term for a person who is in his or her first year of play of their sport or has little or no professional experience. The term also has the more general meaning of anyone new to a profession, training or activity Rookie is a term for a person who is in his or her first year of play of...
year he played in ten games, starting two of them. He missed the final six games of the regular season due to an ankle injury. He also recorded a sack
Quarterback sack
In American football and Canadian football, a sack occurs when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage before he can throw a forward pass, or when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage in the "pocket" and the intent of what he was going to do is unclear...
in 1993. In 1994, he played in 11 games before breaking his arm against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West...
in week 11 and missed the rest of the season. Both 1995 and 1996, Carlton played in all 16 games. In 1995, Gray had his most productive season as a pro, being second on the Seahawks with four interceptions. He also had a career high 68 solo tackles
Tackle (football move)
Most forms of football have a move known as a tackle. The primary purposes of tackling is to disposses an opponent of the ball, to stop the player from gaining ground towards goal or to stop them from carrying out what they intend....
and 5 assisted tackles. On February 16, 1996, he re-signed with the Seahawks. During his four seasons with the Seahawks, he had a total of nine interceptions, with zero in 1996, and one sack.
Indianapolis Colts
On March 3, 1997 Gray signed a 4-year, $9.7 million deal with the Colts as a free agentFree agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
. During his one season with the Colts, he had 20 tackles, four assisted, and two interceptions. On September 3, 1998, the Colts released Gray because cornerback
Cornerback
A cornerback is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in American and Canadian football. Cornerbacks cover receivers, to defend against pass offenses and make tackles. Other members of the defensive backfield include the safeties and occasionally linebackers. The cornerback position...
Tyrone Poole
Tyrone Poole
Tyrone Poole is a retired American professional football player who played 13 seasons as a cornerback in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Carolina Panthers 22nd overall of the 1995 NFL Draft...
returned from an injury.
New York Giants
In his one season with the Giants, Gray played in 14 games and recorded 29 tackles, three assisted tackles, his second career sack, and one interception.Kansas City Chiefs
Gray signed with the Chiefs after the departures of Dale CarterDale Carter
Dale Lavelle Carter is a former American football cornerback who played for the Kansas City Chiefs , Denver Broncos , Minnesota Vikings , New Orleans Saints , and Baltimore Ravens ....
and Mark McMillian
Mark McMillian
Mark D. McMillian is a former American football cornerback that played in the National Football League from 1992–1999. He played for the Philadelphia Eagles, New Orleans Saints, Kansas City Chiefs, San Francisco 49ers, and Washington Redskins. He led the league in interception yards in 1997 with 274...
. The 1999 season, he played in all 16 games, yet only had ten tackles and no interceptions. During a scrimmage at River Falls
River Falls, Wisconsin
River Falls is a city in Pierce and St. Croix counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 15,000 at the 2010 census, making it the second largest city in the Twin Cities Wisconsin suburbs, which is the eighth largest metropolitan area in the state...
in 2000, the Chiefs were scrimmaging the New Orleans Saints
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....
, and while a Saints player was at the bottom of the pile, Gray sucker punched him. After that, he rarely played, appearing in only four games.