Jerry Gray

Whether it was as a quarterback at Estacado High in Lubbock, Texas, or roaming the secondary as a Longhorn and professional defensive back, Gray did whatever it took to make sure he was one of the best.

Even though he hadn't entertained the possibility of becoming a coach until he was with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the last of his nine NFL seasons, he is now becoming one of the best in that field, as well.

"I had never really thought about it until the Bucs coach at the time, Sam Wyche, offered me a player/coach contract," explained Gray, who has been the Buffalo Bills defensive coordinator since 2001. "I really didn't know what it would entailed, so I declined and decided to take the year off after retiring from football."

However, his retirement would only last for that one year. In 1995, Gray consulted a friend of his, Dwayne Dixon, who was coaching at the University of Florida, about what it would take to succeed as a coach.

Despite the long hours and dedication, he decided it was something he was interested in pursuing. So, when Southern Methodist University was looking for a defensive backs coach, Gray threw his name into the mix and landed his first coaching position.

"To me, it was a natural progression," Gray said. "I really couldn't see myself doing anything else."

He spent one year at SMU before getting an opportunity in the professional ranks with the Tennessee Titans as a defensive assistant/quality control coach in 1997. He was elevated to the defensive backs coach in 1999 and then took over as the defensive coordinator for the Bills in 2001.

Since then, Gray has produced some of the NFL's top attacking defenses, including the league's second-ranked unit in 2003 and 2004, which is no surprise to people that have seen Gray throughout his career.

"During college, he was my quarterback of the defense," said former Texas head coach David McWilliams, who was an assistant under Fred Akers while Gray was at Texas. "He knew what everybody had to do. He knew what the line was supposed to do. He knew all the coverages."

Gray, who came out of high school as a quarterback but switched to the secondary in college, credits his time as a signal caller for his understanding of the game.

"As a quarterback, you have to know what everyone is doing on the field," Gray explained. "Fortunately for me, when I got to Texas, they made me a free safety, and in the system they were running, the free safety was like a quarterback, so I fit in real well."

McWilliams noticed Gray had the instincts of a coach on the field, and approached the game in a coach's manner off the field.

"He would study tape of the opposing team's offense like a coach would," recalled McWilliams. "If we were at practice, I could ask Jerry what the other team would do in certain situations and he would know, so it doesn't surprise me that he's moved up through the ranks as quickly as he has."

Gray's advancement is easily understood, when you consider he was coaching his teammates during his collegiate and professional careers without really knowing it. He acknowledges coaching didn't enter his mind until the latter stages of his playing days, but realized he had been doing it all along.

"I had the physical tools, but I needed to work on the mental part," Gray explained. "I started breaking down film, on a player's level, not so much on the coaches' level. I got pretty good at it and then started teaching the rest of the guys how to watch film."

By Gray's junior year in 1983, he was working the younger players both in the film room and on the field. He also got a lot of help from a number of seniors on a squad that went 11-0 during the regular season and finished fifth in the AP, UPI and CNN/USA polls.

Despite already showing the qualities of a leader, Gray would need to take it a step further during his senior year, and the coaching staff let him know that right away.

"I became the leader of the team as a senior," remembered Gray. "The coaches explained that we had four or five sophomores and asked me what I was going to do with them."

The Longhorns opened the 1984 season with a win over 11th-ranked Auburn and won seven of its first nine games, including a 3-0-1 record versus Top 15, while spending two weeks ranked number one before finally finishing the regular season 7-3-1.

Roles reversed for Gray when he moved into the professional ranks. He was the 21st overall pick by the Los Angeles Rams in 1985 and joined a team with plenty of veterans to learn from. The education paid off as Gray made the Pro Bowl in just his second season. He would play in the next three Pro Bowls and was eventually named Defensive Back of the Year in 1989.

By that time, the veterans had moved on and Gray was back to being the teacher.

"Everything started all over," Gray said. "I was there with a group of veterans and they taught me how to watch film on an NFL level. Then, in my fifth year, I became the oldest guy, so it was like being in college again, having to mentor the younger players."

Throughout Gray's time in the league, he was indirectly preparing for his coaching career whether it was by learning from the veteran players or his defensive coaches.

"I was fortunate to play for guys like Fritz Shermer and Jeff Fisher," added Gray. "Fisher implemented the 46 defense when I was there, so I got a grasp of that, and when I got to Tampa, things just started to move in the coaching direction."

So, after his one short year of relaxation in Austin following his playing career, Gray began the journey up the coaching ladder. With stops in Dallas with SMU, Nashville with the Tennessee Titans and Buffalo with the Bills, who knows where Gray's ladder will stop. But, a head-coaching job seems to be in his future.

"I'm interested in a head job and it doesn't have to be at the professional level," said Gray. "I'd look at a college job, but for me, it is all about who is the best guy for the job. I don't want people to hire me because I'm a minority, I want to be the best guy for the job."

If his track record is any indication, this member of the All-Time Texas High School football team, All-Time University of Texas football team and a four-time NFL Pro Bowler will follow his motto and become the best coach he can possibly be.