William Gay (cornerback)

Early years

Gay attended James S. Rickards High School in Tallahassee, Florida, where he played quarterback, wide receiver and safety for the Raiders. He racked up over 1,200 all-purpose yards and 12 touchdowns as a junior. He notched 1,035 yards and seven scores passing, 1,237 yards and 11 scores receiving and 82 tackles, 14 pass breakups and nine interceptions at defensive back as a senior when he was named team co-MVP and earned first team All-Big Bend Area honors.

Gay was also a standout in track & field. In 2002, he placed 8th in the 200-meter dash with a time of 22.61 seconds at the Capital City Classic. At the FHSAA Region 3A he took 3rd in the long jump (7.07m or 23 feet, 2 inches) and 14th in the 400-meter dash (51.0 seconds). He was also clocked at 4.4 in the 40-yard dash.

Gay was rated as a three-star prospect by TheInsiders.com and was the nation's 67th-ranked cornerback. He was rated as a three-star prospect and was the nation's 46th-ranked cornerback by Rivals.com.

College career

Gay played college football at the University of Louisville where he played in 46 games recording 134 tackles. Gay is also somewhat notable for being offside as a defender on a field goal kick attempt in the final minute of Louisville's game against Rutgers in 2006. Although the kick was unsuccessful, a penalty was called against Louisville that provided the kicker with a second attempt. This one was successful. As a result, Louisville experienced their only loss of the season, effectively ending their bid for a National Championship game berth.

2007

Gay was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the fifth round (170th overall) in the 2007 NFL Draft. On July 22, 2007, the Steelers signed Gay to a 3-year, $1.221 million contract. In his first preseason game he intercepted a Tyler Palko pass and tackled Saints first round draft pick Robert Meachem.

Gay played his first regular season game in the season opener at Cleveland. In a 34-7 win over the Cleveland Browns, he made his first career tackle and pass deflection. During a Week 7 matchup with the Denver Broncos, he made a season-high 4 tackles. In his rookie year he played in 16 games recording 19 tackles and 2 pass deflections.

2008

In Gay's second year, he saw more significant playing time after injuries to cornerbacks Bryant McFadden and Deshea Townsend. Gay contributed to the Steelers' stingy defense, which was the first in the league in pass defense and best total defense. Gay also contributes on special teams. On November 16, 2008, he received his first career start and made 3 tackles in a game against the San Diego Chargers. On December 14, 2008, Gay made his first career interception and returned it for 12-yards against the Baltimore Ravens.

The Steelers ended Gay's second season 12-4 and finished first amongst the AFC North. On January 18, 2009, Gay played in his first AFC Championship and recorded one tackle, as the Steelers beat the Ravens 23-14. On February 1, 2009, Gay played in his first Super bowl and racked up 2 tackles. The Steelers went on to beat the Arizona Cardinals, 27-23, to win Super Bowl XLIII.

He finished his second season with 41 tackles, 33 solo tackles, 7 pass defelctions, and an interception in 4 starts. Gay also played in every game for the Steelers in 2008.

2009

After the loss of Bryant McFadden in 2009, Gay assumed the starting duties at cornerback for the 2009 season opposite Ike Taylor. Gay started his first season opener and recorded 4 tackles in the Steeler's 13-10 victory over the Tennessee Titans. He went on to start the next 14 regular season games, as he finished the season with a career-high 78 tackles, 70 solo tackles, a sack, and 10 pass deflections.

2010

On April 16, 2010, he was signed to a 1-year, $1.101 million contract by the Steelers. He returned for his fourth season and did not start at cornerback until Week 11 against the Oakland Raiders, due to the return of Bryant McFadden. After recording 3 solo tackles, he returned to start the next 3 games. On January 23, 2011, he started his first career playoff game and recorded 2 tackles in a 24-19 AFC Championship win over the New York Jets. On February 6, 2010, Gay started in his first career Super Bowl. The Steelers went on to lose Super Bowl XLV to the Green Bay Packers with Gay finishing the game with 2 tackles and a pass deflection.

He finished 2010 with 48 tackles, 40 solo tackles, a career-high 2 sacks, and 11 pass deflections in 16 games and 4 starts.

2011

On August 1, 2011, Gay signed a 1-year, $735,000 contract with the Steelers. In his fourth year, Gay started a career-high 15 games. While playing a Week 11 contest at Cincinnati, he recorded 3 tackles and returned a pick for 12-yards in a 24-17 win over the Bengals. On December 5, 2011, he went on to have one of his best games for the Steelers, as he racked up a season-high 7 tackles, 5 solo tackles, 3 pass deflections, and an interception in a 14-3 victory over the Cleveland Browns. He finished 2011 with 61 tackles, 49 solo tackles, a career-high 13 pass deflections, and 2 interceptions.

2012

On March 24, 2012, Gay signed a 2-year, $3.2 million contract with the Arizona Cardinals. The move reunited him with the Cardinal's new defensive backs coach and former Steeler's teammate Deshea Townsend. On September 9, 2012, Gay made his regular season debut for the Cardinals and accumulated 7 tackles, a pass deflection, and a forced fumble in a win over the Seattle Seahawks. He played his last game for the Cardinals on December 30, 2012, and finished the game with 4 tackles. In his only year in Arizona, he had 57 tackles, 45 solo tackles, a sack, 6 pass deflections, and 2 interceptions. Gay was released on March 1, 2013.

2013

On March 4, 2013, Gay signed a 3-year, $4.5 million contract, with the Pittsburgh Steelers. It also included a $500,000 signing bonus and $500,000 guaranteed. During a Week 10 game against the Buffalo Bills, Gay had a career-high 11 tackles, a career-high 9 solo tackles, and a pass deflection.

2014

On October 26, 2014, Gay made a season-high 8 tackles, 6 solo tackles, and had his first career touchdown when he returned an interception for 33-yards in a 51-34 victory over the Indianapolis Colts.

While playing at Atlanta on December 14, 2014, Gay had a season-high 8 solo tackles and returned his third interception of the season for a career-high 52-yard touchdown against the Falcons. This gave him most interceptions returned for touchdowns in the 2014 NFL season.

2015

Following the retirement of longtime teammate Ike Taylor, Gay became the Steeler's number one cornerback for the 2015 season. On December 13, 2015, Gay intercepted the Bengal's back-up quarterback, AJ McCarron, in the third quarter and returned it for a touchdown. This tied him with NFL Hall of Famer Rod Woodson for most career interceptions returned for touchdowns for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Jim Rome Show

Gay's cry of "Yeah!" that he made during the Steelers' Super Bowl XLIII victory parade, was edited into a popular Jim Rome Radio Show sound-bite on February 4, 2009. This made the previously famous "Triple-Yeah!" into a "Quad-Yeah!" featuring Mark Madsen (formerly an L.A. Laker), Joe Namath (during his drunken interview with Suzy Kolber), Howard Dean (the famous "Dean Scream"), and Gay's victory parade "Yeah!".

Personal Information

Gay's mother was murdered in a domestic violence incident when he was eight years old. Apparently, Gay and his siblings knew nothing about the domestic violence occurring in his home, but at the urging of other family members, and out of fear for her children, she left her boyfriend—the father of Gay's brother. While she was at a friend's house shortly after leaving, her boyfriend arrived at the friend's house and shot her three times. The boyfriend then went back to his car and killed himself. In an effort to keep them together his grandmother took the brothers in and raised them. He shared his story in a video for the Women's Center and Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh in an attempt to spread the word on domestic violence.

As of August 2015 Gay is dating Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta star Erica Dixon.