David Lee Grayson (June 6, 1939 – July 29, 2017) was an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover Wide receiver, receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such Play from scrimmage, offensive running plays as sweep ...

and

safety Safety is the state of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings The word 'safety' entered the English language in the 1 ...

who played in the

American Football League The American Football League (AFL) was a major professional American football league that operated for ten seasons from 1960 until 1970, AFL–NFL merger, when it merged with the older National Football League (NFL), and became the American Foot ...

(AFL) and the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL) for the Dallas Texans / Kansas City Chiefs and the

Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team based in Oakland, California, from its founding in 1960 to 1981, and again from 1995 to 2019 before Oakland Raiders relocation to Las Vegas, relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan ...

. He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the Oregon Webfoots.

Early life

Grayson attended San Diego High School, playing

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offense ...

and

defensive back In gridiron football, defensive backs (DBs), also called the secondary, are the players on the defensive side of the ball who play farthest back from the line of scrimmage. They are distinguished from the other two sets of defensive players, the ...

. As a sophomore, he helped his team achieve an 11-0-1 record, while outscoring opponents 382-65 and being awarded the mythical National championship by the National Sports News Service. After the season he transferred to Lincoln High School. After graduating from high school he went on to play at San Diego City College. Besides football, in track he was a part of the 4 × 200 metres relay team that set a national junior college record. As a junior, he transferred to the

University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a Public university, public research university in Eugene, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1876, the university is organized into nine colleges and schools and offers 420 undergraduate and gra ...

, where he played offensive and defensive halfback. In 1982, he was inducted into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame. In 2010, he was inducted into the Breitbard Hall of Fame.

Professional career

In 1961, he was signed as an undrafted free agent by the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...

, but because head coach Tom Landry felt he lacked size for the physical play that was needed in NFL at the time, Chief talent scout Gil Brandt called the AFL's Dallas Texans head coach Hank Stram and suggested he give Grayson a look. Grayson made the team and played four years with the Dallas Texans/ Kansas City Chiefs. In 1961, he set the franchise and AFL record for the longest interception return with a 99-yarder against the New York Titans. In 1961, he also led the league in kickoff returns. In

1962 The year saw the Cuban Missile Crisis, which is often considered the closest the world came to a Nuclear warfare, nuclear confrontation during the Cold War. Events January * January 1 – Samoa, Western Samoa becomes independent from Ne ...

and

1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Cove ...

, he finished second in the league in kickoff returns. In

1965 Events January–February * January 14 – The First Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years. * January 20 ** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lynd ...

, he was traded to the

in exchange for

Fred Williamson. Grayson held the AFL record for longest

interception In Ball game, ball-playing Competitive sport, competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for ...

return for a

touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Scoring a touchdown grants the team that scored it 6 points. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchd ...

, 99 yards, against the New York Titans in 1961. He had an interception off George Blanda in the Texans' 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

and 1964, and with the Raiders in

1966 Events January * January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko. * January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo i ...

and 1969. In

1967 Events January * January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Canadian Confederation, Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair. * January 6 – Vietnam War: United States Marine Corps and Army of ...

, he was moved from right

. He made a 48-yard return with the opening kickoff against the Oilers in the 1967 AFL Championship Game, helping his team win the game and reach Super Bowl II. In 1968, he led the AFL with 10 interceptions. His 29 interceptions rank seventh all-time in Raiders history. Grayson 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. Despite his accomplishments, Grayson has yet to be inducted into the

Pro Football Hall of Fame The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame for professional football (gridiron), professional American football, located in Canton, Ohio. Opened on September 7, 1963, the Hall of Fame enshrines exceptional figures in the sport of profes ...

. He remains the only first-team defensive back from the AFL All-Time Team to not be selected. In 2017, the Professional Football Researchers Association named Grayson to the PFRA Hall of Very Good Class of 2017.

Personal life

After football he opened different businesses, which included one of the biggest nightclubs in Southeast San Diego during the seventies. He also was involved with organizations like the Boys Club, YMCA and the Committee for Community Involvement of Black Athletes. Grayson died on July 29, 2017. His son, David Lee Grayson Jr. played

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and typically line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and so back up the defensive linemen. They play closer to the line ...

in the NFL from 1987 to 1990 with the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...

and in 1991 with the

San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team in the National Football League (NFL). The Chargers played in San Diego, California from 1961 until 2016, before relocating back to the Greater Los Angeles area, where the franch ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grayson, Dave 1939 births 2017 deaths Players of American football from San Diego American football cornerbacks American football safeties San Diego City Knights football players Oregon Ducks football players Dallas Texans (AFL) players Kansas City Chiefs players Oakland Raiders players American Football League All-Star players American Football League All-Time Team American Football League players 20th-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century American sportsmen 21st-century African-American sportsmen San Diego High School alumni