Dave Grayson
Encyclopedia
David Lee Grayson is a former American football
defensive back
in the American Football League
(AFL) and the National Football League
(NFL).
, where he played offensive
and defensive halfback
.
, but because Tom Landry
didn't have any room for him on the roster, Gil Brandt
called Dallas Texans
head coach Hank Stram
to give Grayson a try.
He ended up making 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 American Football League All-Star
six times, in Dallas Texans
/Kansas City Chiefs
in 1962, 1963 and 1964, and in Oakland 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 American Football League
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 American Football League All-Time Team
.
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 American Football League
American Football League
The American Football League was a major American Professional Football league that operated from 1960 until 1969, when the established National Football League merged with it. The upstart AFL operated in direct competition with the more established NFL throughout its existence...
(AFL) and 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...
(NFL).
College career
After playing at Lincoln High School (San Diego, CA), he signed with the University of OregonUniversity of Oregon
-Colleges and schools:The University of Oregon is organized into eight schools and colleges—six professional schools and colleges, an Arts and Sciences College and an Honors College.- School of Architecture and Allied Arts :...
, where he played offensive
Offense (sports)
In sports, offense or offence , also known as attack, is the action of attacking or engaging an opposing team with the objective of scoring points or goals...
and defensive halfback
Halfback (American football)
A halfback, sometimes referred to as a tailback, is an offensive position in American football, which lines up in the backfield and generally is responsible for carrying the ball on run plays. Historically, from the 1870s through the 1950s, the halfback position was both an offensive and defensive...
.
Professional career
In 1961 he was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Dallas CowboysDallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
, but because Tom Landry
Tom Landry
Thomas Wade "Tom" Landry was an American football player and coach. He is ranked as one of the greatest and most innovative coaches in National Football League history, creating many new formations and methods...
didn't have any room for him on the roster, Gil Brandt
Gil Brandt
Gil Brandt was a Vice President of player personnel for the Dallas Cowboys from 1960 to 1988.Brandt served as the Cowboys' chief talent scout since the club's birth in 1960. He had served as a part-time scout for the Los Angeles Rams under General Manager Tex Schramm in the 1950s...
called Dallas Texans
History of the Kansas City Chiefs
The following is a detailed history of the Kansas City Chiefs, a professional American football franchise that began play in 1960 as the Dallas Texans...
head coach Hank Stram
Hank Stram
Henry Louis "Hank" Stram was an American football coach. He is best known for his 15-year tenure with the American Football League's Dallas Texans/Kansas City Chiefs and the Chiefs of the NFL. Stram won three AFL Championships and Super Bowl IV with the Chiefs...
to give Grayson a try.
He ended up making the team and played four years with the Dallas Texans
History of the Kansas City Chiefs
The following is a detailed history of the Kansas City Chiefs, a professional American football franchise that began play in 1960 as the Dallas Texans...
/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...
before joining the Oakland Raiders
History of the Oakland Raiders
-Early years :A few months after the first AFL draft in 1959, the owners of the yet-unnamed Minneapolis franchise accepted an offer to join the established National Football League as an expansion team in 1961, sending the AFL scrambling for a replacement. At the time, Oakland seemed an unlikely...
in 1965.
Grayson held the AFL
American Football League
The American Football League was a major American Professional Football league that operated from 1960 until 1969, when the established National Football League merged with it. The upstart AFL operated in direct competition with the more established NFL throughout its existence...
record for longest interception return for a touchdown
Touchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...
, 99 yards, against the New York Titans
History of the New York Jets
The history of the New York Jets American football team began in 1959 with the founding of the Titans of New York, an original member of the American Football League. The team had little success in its early years . After playing three seasons at the Polo Grounds, the team changed its name to the...
in 1961.
He had an interception off George Blanda
George Blanda
George Frederick Blanda was a collegiate and professional football quarterback and placekicker...
in the Texans' classic 1962 double-overtime championship game
1962 American Football League Championship Game
The 1962 American Football League Championship Game was played at Jeppesen Stadium in Houston, Texas on December 23, 1962.-Background:The day saw the Eastern Division's 11-3 Houston Oilers in the title game for their third straight year, against the West's Dallas Texans, also at 11-3...
victory over the defending AFL
American Football League
The American Football League was a major American Professional Football league that operated from 1960 until 1969, when the established National Football League merged with it. The upstart AFL operated in direct competition with the more established NFL throughout its existence...
Champion Houston Oilers
History of the Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are the professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. They are members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Previously known as the Houston Oilers, the then-Houston, Texas, team began play in 1960 as a...
.
Grayson was an American Football League All-Star
American Football League All-Star games
-All-League Teams:The Sporting News published American Football League All-League Teams for each season played by the American Football League, 1960 through 1969...
six times, in Dallas Texans
History of the Kansas City Chiefs
The following is a detailed history of the Kansas City Chiefs, a professional American football franchise that began play in 1960 as the Dallas Texans...
/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...
in 1962, 1963 and 1964, and in Oakland Raiders
History of the Oakland Raiders
-Early years :A few months after the first AFL draft in 1959, the owners of the yet-unnamed Minneapolis franchise accepted an offer to join the established National Football League as an expansion team in 1961, sending the AFL scrambling for a replacement. At the time, Oakland seemed an unlikely...
in 1965, 1966 and 1969.
He made a 48-yard return with the opening kickoff
Kickoff (American football)
A kickoff is a method of starting a drive in American football and Canadian football. Typically, a kickoff consists of one team – the "kicking team" – kicking the ball to the opposing team – the "receiving team"...
against the Oilers in the 1967 AFL Championship Game.
At Oakland in 1968, he led the American Football League
American Football League
The American Football League was a major American Professional Football league that operated from 1960 until 1969, when the established National Football League merged with it. The upstart AFL operated in direct competition with the more established NFL throughout its existence...
with ten interceptions.
He is the all-time AFL
American Football League
The American Football League was a major American Professional Football league that operated from 1960 until 1969, when the established National Football League merged with it. The upstart AFL operated in direct competition with the more established NFL throughout its existence...
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 American Football League All-Time Team
American Football League All-Time Team
The American Football League All- Time Team was selected on January 14, 1970. The first and second teams would be determined by a panel of members of the AFL's Hall of Fame Board of Selectors: Since the First team included two halfbacks, rather than a halfback and a fullback, Cookie Gilchrist, a...
.