Alexander "Alex" Gray (born 1 May 1991) is an English former rugby union and American football player. He has played for the England Sevens, Newcastle Falcons, London Irish, Yorkshire Carnegie, and Bath Rugby, and played tight end for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL). He also appears as Apollo in the 2024 BBC One reboot of Gladiators.
| Birth name | Alexander Gray | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 1 May 1991 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Bishop Auckland, County Durham, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 113 kg (17 st 11 lb; 249 lb)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Barnard Castle School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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American football career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| High school: | Barnard Castle School (Barnard Castle, England) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position: | Tight end | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Undrafted: | 2017 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stats at Pro Football Reference | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rugby union (2010–2017)
editClub career
editGray was a product of Newcastle Falcons Academy and signed a two-year first-team contract at the age of just 17. His primary position is number eight, but he can also play openside flanker. It was announced that the back-rower joined London Irish on 8 August 2011.[2]
After finishing the England Sevens commitment in the summer of 2016, Gray signed for Yorkshire Carnegie for 2016/17 season.[3]
International career
editThe former Barnard Castle School Schoolboy has captained England to Grand Slams at Under-16s Under-18s and Under-20s levels, making his Under-18s debut three years young when they toured Australia in 2007. He then skippered the Under-18s through a clean sweep in the 2008 Home Nations tournament, before leading them to six wins from six on their summer tour to Argentina. 2009 saw more success at age group level as he led England 18s again.
Gray made his England Sevens debut in 2013. Subsequently, he was named as 2015 RPA Sevens Player of the Year.
In May 2016, Gray was included in extended Great Britain Sevens squad in preparation for the Rio Olympics.[4]
NFL career (2017–2019)
editGray signed with National Football League club Atlanta Falcons on 25 May 2017, the first British rugby player to pursue a career in American football.[5][6] He was signed as a practice squad player after attending the NFL Combine and tryouts in Florida through the NFL's International Player Pathway Program. Under the rules governing this scheme, teams in the NFC South division receive one extra practice squad position specifically for an international player, but these players cannot be activated during the season following their signing.[7] He signed a reserve/future contract with the Falcons on 15 January 2018.[8]
On 1 September 2018, Gray was waived by the Falcons and re-signed to the practice squad.[9][10]
Gray signed a reserve/future contract with the Falcons on 31 December 2018.[11] He was waived/injured during final roster cuts on 31 August 2019,[12] and reverted to the team's injured reserve list the next day.[13] He was waived from injured reserve on January 13, 2020.[14]
Rugby union (2020–2021)
editGray returned to rugby union from the NFL when he signed with Bath Rugby in November 2020. He left the team in the offseason after making only six appearances.[15][16]
Gladiators
editIn the beginning of 2024, Gray joined the cast of the British TV sports series Gladiators as Apollo.[17][18]
References
edit- ^ "Former Falcon Alex Gray lands contract with Bath". web page. Bath Rugby. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
- ^ "London Irish sign Alex Gray from Newcastle Falcons". BBC Sport. 9 August 2011. Retrieved 15 November 2017.
- ^ "Three new signings for Yorkshire Carnegie". www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk.
- ^ "Rio Olympics 2016: Great Britain Sevens pick Allen, Bennett & Simpson". BBC Sport. 12 May 2016.
- ^ Bennetts, Julian (25 May 2017). "Former England Sevens star Alex Gray swaps rugby for American Football to sign one-year deal with Atlanta Falcons". The Telegraph – via www.telegraph.co.uk.
- ^ "Sabre, Apollo and Dynamite have the heart of winners as they join Gladiators". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
- ^ Hamilton, Tom (25 May 2017). "England sevens star Alex Gray signs for Atlanta Falcons practice squad". ESPN (UK). Retrieved 27 May 2017.
- ^ McFadden, Will (15 January 2018). "Falcons announce signing of nine players to reserve future contracts". AtlantaFalcons.com. Archived from the original on 2 February 2018.
- ^ McFadden, Will (1 September 2018). "Falcons 2018 roster: Atlanta announces roster cuts, trims active roster down to 52". AtlantaFalcons.com.
- ^ McFadden, Will (2 September 2018). "Falcons sign 10 players to practice squad". AtlantaFalcons.com. Archived from the original on 4 September 2018. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
- ^ Conway, Kelsey (31 December 2018). "Falcons sign nine players to reserve/futures contracts". AtlantaFalcons.com. Archived from the original on 20 October 2020. Retrieved 1 January 2019.
- ^ McFadden, Will (31 August 2019). "Falcons 2019 roster announced". AtlantaFalcons.com. Retrieved 24 December 2019.
- ^ "Falcons' Alex Gray: Ends up on IR". CBSSports.com. 4 September 2019. Retrieved 24 December 2019.
- ^ McFadden, Will (13 January 2020). "Falcons waive Ra'Shede Hageman, Alex Gray". AtlantaFalcons.com. Retrieved 15 January 2020.
- ^ "Former Falcon Alex Gray lands contract with Bath Rugby". bathrugby.com.
- ^ "Bath confirm the exit of Alex Gray, their American football gamble". rugbypass.com. 4 September 2021.
- ^ "Sabre, Apollo and Dynamite have the heart of winners as they join Gladiators". BBC Media Centre. 25 May 2023. Retrieved 4 June 2023.
- ^ "First look at the Gladiators line up and the referees keeping them in check". BBC Media Centre. 31 May 2023.