Height 1.78 m College: Oregon Weight 85 kg | Name Dave Grayson Education University of Oregon Role American football player Positions Defensive back | |
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Date of birth: (1939-06-06) June 6, 1939 (age 76) | ||
Place of birth: San Diego, California | ||
Dave Grayson: Football Defensive Back
David Lee Grayson (June 6, 1939 – July 29, 2017) was an American football defensive back in the American Football League (AFL) and the National Football League (NFL) for the Kansas City Chiefs and Oakland Raiders. He played college football at the University of Oregon.
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College career
After playing at Lincoln High School (San Diego, CA), he accepted a football scholarship from the University of Oregon, where he played offensive and defensive halfback.
Professional career
In 1961, he was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Dallas Cowboys, but because head coach Tom Landry did not have room for him on the roster, chief talent scout Gil Brandt called Dallas Texans head coach Hank Stram and suggested he give Grayson a try. Grayson made the team and played four years with the Dallas Texans/Kansas City Chiefs before joining the Oakland Raiders in 1965.
Grayson held the AFL record for longest interception return for a touchdown, 99 yards, against the New York Titans in 1961. He had an interception off George Blanda in the Texans' classic 1962 double-overtime championship game victory over the defending AFL Champion Houston Oilers. Grayson was an AFL All-Star six times, with the Texans/Chiefs in 1962, 1963 and 1964, and with the Raiders in 1965, 1966 and 1969.
He made a 48-yard return with the opening kickoff against the Oilers in the 1967 AFL Championship Game. At Oakland in 1968, he led the AFL with ten interceptions. He is the all-time AFL leader in interceptions with 47, for a 20-yard return average and 5 touchdowns, and he averaged 25.4 yards on 110 kickoff returns. He is a member of the AFL All-Time Team.
Personal
Grayson's son, David Lee Grayson, Jr. also played in the NFL from 1987–1990 with the Cleveland Browns and in 1991 with the San Diego Chargers.
Death
Grayson died on July 29, 2017.