Peter Gent
Encyclopedia
George Davis Peter Gent (August 23, 1942 – September 30, 2011) was a Michigan State University
basketball
player and National Football League
wide receiver
turned novel
ist.
, basketball
, baseball
and track
). In basketball
he lead the Bangor Vikings team to the 1960 state Class C Championship, while accumulating a 22.6 scoring average. The team was known as the Cardiac Kids for their late-game wins in District, Regional, Quarter-Final and Semi-Final games. The final game against top-ranked Grand Rapids Lee was no exception, it was tied 41-41 after three quarters and Bangor went on to win it 57-45. Gent led the team with 21 points, and was named to the All-Tourney Team which was chosen from schools of all sizes throughout the state.
The Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan, in association with the Detroit Free Press
, has sponsored since the spring of 1981, the Hal Schram Mr. Basketball award, given to the state’s top prep senior. Gent was awarded the “Retro" Mr. Basketball award, given to state players previous to 1981, that would have been named Mr. Basketball if there was such an award at the time.
/forward with the Michigan State University
basketball
team from 1962-64. He became the first player in school history to lead the basketball
team in scoring three consecutive seasons. In his senior year, he averaged 21 points per game. He left school ranked as MSU's
second career scorer, with a total of 1,146 points. He averaged 17.4 points per game for his college career, he was third team All-Big Ten
in 1963 and second team All-Big Ten
in 1964.
In 1964 he was awarded the Big Ten Conference
Medal of Honor, which is given annually to a male and female athlete at each of the Big Ten
institutions, who demonstrates the greatest proficiency in scholarship and athletics. Gent graduated from Michigan State University
with a BA in advertising.
Gent was the recipient of the 2005 Distinguished Alumnus Award.
, Gil Brandt
was impressed by his athleticism and offered him a try out with the Dallas Cowboys
. On a lark, Gent went to the Cowboys training camp in the summer of 1964
, after hearing they were paying $500 to players who attended.
As with Cornell Green whom the Cowboys had converted two years earlier, he was first tried at defensive back
, but at 6-4 and about 210 pounds, he wasn’t compact enough to execute the quick turns and pivots required to play in the secondary. The coaches decided that Gent’s best chance was at wide receiver
, where he wound up making the team and turning down a contract offer with the Baltimore Bullets
, who had drafted him in the 14th round of the 1964 NBA Draft
.
He became a valuable wide receiver
by his second year in 1965
, while splitting time with Buddy Dial
and playing opposite to Bob Hayes
. In 1965
, Gent caught 16 passes for 233 yards and two touchdown
s. In 1966
, he had 27 receptions for 474 yards (averaging 17.6 yard per catch) and one touchdown
. In 1967
with the arrival of Lance Rentzel
and his declining health problems, he was moved to tight end
.
Gent's career was marred by injury, having had 2 knee operations and constant back problems. He was known for his intelligence, soft hands and size. He caught passes mostly from quarterback
Don Meredith
, with whom he enjoyed a close friendship off the field.
he was traded to the New York Giants
, but he was cut before the regular season started, ending his NFL career.
After leaving professional football
, Gent wrote a semi-autobiographical novel titled North Dallas Forty, for which he will be remembered the most. Many have hypothesized that the main characters of the book, a quarterback
and a wide receiver
, are based on Gent and Don Meredith
. The novel, published in 1973, exposed the seamier side of American football
. It examines the NFL's hypocrisy regarding drug use—as heavy use of painkillers is recklessly encouraged to keep players on the field but personal use of marijuana
and narcotics is frowned on. The book was made into a movie of the same name
in 1979 starring Nick Nolte
, Mac Davis
, G.D. Spradlin, and Dayle Haddon
. Gent wrote the screenplay
for the film. He had epic creative battles with legendary producer Frank Yablans
on the set of the film.
Gent made his home in Texas for many years, where he was friends with many of the great creative minds of the day, including Larry L. King, Billy Lee Brammer
, Gary Cartwright, Bud Shrake, Jerry Jeff Walker
, and Dan Jenkins
. They called themselves the Mad Dogs.
Gent also examined the corruption deriving from the huge sums of money involved in modern professional sports in a sequel volume entitled North Dallas After 40, published in 1989, and in an unrelated football novel The Franchise, published in 1983.
Michigan State University
Michigan State University is a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan, USA. Founded in 1855, it was the pioneer land-grant institution and served as a model for future land-grant colleges in the United States under the 1862 Morrill Act.MSU pioneered the studies of packaging,...
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...
player and 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...
wide receiver
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
turned novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
ist.
Early days
At Bangor High School (Michigan), Gent was a standout four-sport athlete (footballAmerican 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...
, 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...
, baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
and track
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
). In 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...
he lead the Bangor Vikings team to the 1960 state Class C Championship, while accumulating a 22.6 scoring average. The team was known as the Cardiac Kids for their late-game wins in District, Regional, Quarter-Final and Semi-Final games. The final game against top-ranked Grand Rapids Lee was no exception, it was tied 41-41 after three quarters and Bangor went on to win it 57-45. Gent led the team with 21 points, and was named to the All-Tourney Team which was chosen from schools of all sizes throughout the state.
The Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan, in association with the Detroit Free Press
Detroit Free Press
The Detroit Free Press is the largest daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, USA. The Sunday edition is entitled the Sunday Free Press. It is sometimes informally referred to as the "Freep"...
, has sponsored since the spring of 1981, the Hal Schram Mr. Basketball award, given to the state’s top prep senior. Gent was awarded the “Retro" Mr. Basketball award, given to state players previous to 1981, that would have been named Mr. Basketball if there was such an award at the time.
College career
Gent was a centerCenter (basketball)
The center, colloquially known as the five or the post, is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. The center is normally the tallest player on the team, and often has a great deal of strength and body mass as well...
/forward with the Michigan State University
Michigan State University
Michigan State University is a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan, USA. Founded in 1855, it was the pioneer land-grant institution and served as a model for future land-grant colleges in the United States under the 1862 Morrill Act.MSU pioneered the studies of packaging,...
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...
team from 1962-64. He became the first player in school history to lead the 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...
team in scoring three consecutive seasons. In his senior year, he averaged 21 points per game. He left school ranked as MSU's
Michigan State University
Michigan State University is a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan, USA. Founded in 1855, it was the pioneer land-grant institution and served as a model for future land-grant colleges in the United States under the 1862 Morrill Act.MSU pioneered the studies of packaging,...
second career scorer, with a total of 1,146 points. He averaged 17.4 points per game for his college career, he was third team All-Big Ten
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
in 1963 and second team All-Big Ten
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
in 1964.
In 1964 he was awarded the Big Ten Conference
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
Medal of Honor, which is given annually to a male and female athlete at each of the Big Ten
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
institutions, who demonstrates the greatest proficiency in scholarship and athletics. Gent graduated from Michigan State University
Michigan State University
Michigan State University is a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan, USA. Founded in 1855, it was the pioneer land-grant institution and served as a model for future land-grant colleges in the United States under the 1862 Morrill Act.MSU pioneered the studies of packaging,...
with a BA in advertising.
Gent was the recipient of the 2005 Distinguished Alumnus Award.
Dallas Cowboys
Although he never played a down of college footballCollege football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
, 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...
was impressed by his athleticism and offered him a try out with the Dallas Cowboys
Dallas 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...
. On a lark, Gent went to the Cowboys training camp in the summer of 1964
1964 NFL season
The 1964 NFL season was the 45th regular season of the National Football League. Before the season started, NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle reinstated Green Bay Packers running back Paul Hornung and Detroit Lions defensive tackle Alex Karras, who had been suspended for the 1963 season due to...
, after hearing they were paying $500 to players who attended.
As with Cornell Green whom the Cowboys had converted two years earlier, he was first tried at 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...
, but at 6-4 and about 210 pounds, he wasn’t compact enough to execute the quick turns and pivots required to play in the secondary. The coaches decided that Gent’s best chance was at wide receiver
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
, where he wound up making the team and turning down a contract offer with the Baltimore Bullets
Baltimore Bullets
Baltimore Bullets has been the name of three different basketball franchises:* Baltimore Bullets , an American Basketball League franchise and National Basketball Association franchise that folded in 1954....
, who had drafted him in the 14th round of the 1964 NBA Draft
1964 NBA Draft
The 1964 NBA Draft was the 18th annual draft of the National Basketball Association . The draft was held on May 4, 1964 before the 1964–65 season. In this draft, nine NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players. A player who had finished his four-year college eligibility...
.
He became a valuable wide receiver
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
by his second year in 1965
1965 NFL season
The 1965 NFL season was the 46th regular season of the National Football League.Because the Green Bay Packers and Baltimore Colts ended up tied in the Western Conference standings after the regular season ended, a conference playoff game was held in Green Bay. Although the Packers had defeated the...
, while splitting time with Buddy Dial
Buddy Dial
Gilbert Leroy "Buddy" Dial was an American football wide receiver in the National Football League for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Dallas Cowboys.-Early life:...
and playing opposite to Bob Hayes
Bob Hayes
Robert Lee "Bullet Bob" Hayes was an Olympic sprinter turned American football wide receiver in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys. An American track and field athlete, he was a two-sport stand-out in college in both track and football at Florida A&M University...
. In 1965
1965 NFL season
The 1965 NFL season was the 46th regular season of the National Football League.Because the Green Bay Packers and Baltimore Colts ended up tied in the Western Conference standings after the regular season ended, a conference playoff game was held in Green Bay. Although the Packers had defeated the...
, Gent caught 16 passes for 233 yards and two 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:...
s. In 1966
1966 NFL season
The 1966 NFL season was the 47th regular season of the National Football League, and the season after which was played Super Bowl I, though it was called the AFL-NFL World Championship Game. The league expanded to 15 teams with the addition of the Atlanta Falcons, thus an odd number of teams...
, he had 27 receptions for 474 yards (averaging 17.6 yard per catch) and one 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:...
. In 1967
1967 NFL season
The 1967 NFL season was the 48th regular season of the National Football League. The league expanded to 16 teams with the addition of the New Orleans Saints. The league's teams were realigned into four divisions: the Capitol and Century Divisions in the Eastern Conference, and the Central and...
with the arrival of Lance Rentzel
Lance Rentzel
Thomas Lance Rentzel is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys and the Los Angeles Rams from 1965 to 1974.-Early years:...
and his declining health problems, he was moved to tight end
Tight end
The tight end is a position in American football on the offense. The tight end is often seen as a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like offensive linemen, they are usually lined up on the offensive line and are large enough to be...
.
Gent's career was marred by injury, having had 2 knee operations and constant back problems. He was known for his intelligence, soft hands and size. He caught passes mostly from quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
Don Meredith
Don Meredith
Joseph Don "Dandy Don" Meredith was an American football quarterback, sports commentator and actor. He spent all nine seasons of his professional playing career with the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League . He was named to the Pro Bowl in each of his last three years as a player...
, with whom he enjoyed a close friendship off the field.
New York Giants
In 19691969 NFL season
The 1969 NFL season was the 50th regular season of the National Football League, and the last one before the AFL-NFL Merger. To honor the NFL's 50th season, a special anniversary logo was designed and each player wore a patch on their jerseys with this logo throughout the season.As per the...
he was traded to 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...
, but he was cut before the regular season started, ending his NFL career.
Post-Football life
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...
, Gent wrote a semi-autobiographical novel titled North Dallas Forty, for which he will be remembered the most. Many have hypothesized that the main characters of the book, a quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
and a wide receiver
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
, are based on Gent and Don Meredith
Don Meredith
Joseph Don "Dandy Don" Meredith was an American football quarterback, sports commentator and actor. He spent all nine seasons of his professional playing career with the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League . He was named to the Pro Bowl in each of his last three years as a player...
. The novel, published in 1973, exposed the seamier side of American football
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...
. It examines the NFL's hypocrisy regarding drug use—as heavy use of painkillers is recklessly encouraged to keep players on the field but personal use of marijuana
Cannabis (drug)
Cannabis, also known as marijuana among many other names, refers to any number of preparations of the Cannabis plant intended for use as a psychoactive drug or for medicinal purposes. The English term marijuana comes from the Mexican Spanish word marihuana...
and narcotics is frowned on. The book was made into a movie of the same name
North Dallas Forty (film)
North Dallas Forty is a 1979 dramatic film starring Nick Nolte, Mac Davis, and G. D. Spradlin. It was directed by Ted Kotcheff and based on the best selling novel by Peter Gent: the screenplay was by Kotcheff, Gent, Frank Yablans and Nancy Dowd ....
in 1979 starring Nick Nolte
Nick Nolte
Nicholas King "Nick" Nolte is an American actor whose career has spanned over five decades, peaking in the 1990s when his commercial success made him one of the most popular celebrities of that decade.-Early life:...
, Mac Davis
Mac Davis
Mac Davis is a country music singer, songwriter, and actor originally from Lubbock, Texas who has enjoyed much crossover success...
, G.D. Spradlin, and Dayle Haddon
Dayle Haddon
Dayle Haddon is a Canadian model and actress, presently known for promoting anti-aging products manufactured by L'Oréal. Additionally, she is credited as author of Ageless Beauty: A Woman's Guide to Lifelong Beauty and Well-Being...
. Gent wrote the screenplay
Screenplay
A screenplay or script is a written work that is made especially for a film or television program. Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of writing. In them, the movement, actions, expression, and dialogues of the characters are also narrated...
for the film. He had epic creative battles with legendary producer Frank Yablans
Frank Yablans
Frank Yablans is an American film producer and screenwriter The son of a Brooklyn cab driver and brother to fellow film producer Irwin Yablans, Yablans' first employers in the film business included Warner Bros., The Walt Disney Company and Filmways...
on the set of the film.
Gent made his home in Texas for many years, where he was friends with many of the great creative minds of the day, including Larry L. King, Billy Lee Brammer
Billy Lee Brammer
Billy Lee Brammer was an author, journalist, and political staffer in Texas and Washington, D.C.. He is best known for his set of three linked novellas, The Gay Place.- Life :...
, Gary Cartwright, Bud Shrake, Jerry Jeff Walker
Jerry Jeff Walker
Jerry Jeff Walker is an American country music singer and songwriter. He is probably most famous for writing the song "Mr. Bojangles.-Biography:...
, and Dan Jenkins
Dan Jenkins
Dan Jenkins is an American author and sportswriter, most notably for Sports Illustrated.Jenkins was born and raised in Fort Worth, Texas, where he attended R .L. Paschal High School and Texas Christian University , where he played on the varsity golf team...
. They called themselves the Mad Dogs.
Gent also examined the corruption deriving from the huge sums of money involved in modern professional sports in a sequel volume entitled North Dallas After 40, published in 1989, and in an unrelated football novel The Franchise, published in 1983.