Everett Gay


Everett Carlton Gay is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He played college football at the University of Texas.

Early years

Gay attended Phillis Wheatley High School, where he was a basketball star. He earned the nickname "Little Glide" because of his acrobatic dunks while playing basketball with Clyde Drexler, Akeem Olajuwon and Moses Malone at the Fonde Recreation Center during the summer.
To get extra conditioning work, he went out for football as a senior and had a standout season. He also practiced track.

College career

Gay accepted a football scholarship from the University of Texas. He played in a run-oriented offense that limited his productivity as a two-year starter. In his junior season, he was the team's leading receiver with 22 receptions for 431 yards and one touchdown.
As a senior, he missed two games, finishing second on the team with 26 receptions for 341 yards and one touchdown. In his college career, he posted 49 receptions for 789 and 2 touchdowns.

Professional career

Dallas Cowboys

Gay was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the fifth round of the 1987 NFL Draft. As a rookie, he suffered a severe right ankle sprain in training camp and was placed on the injured reserve list.
In 1988, he was one of the early training camp surprises until suffering a knee injury on July 21 that required surgery. After undergoing arthroscopy surgery, he was able to return and play in all 16 games, registering 15 receptions for 205 yards and one touchdown.
The next year, he missed the June minicamp after having arthroscopy surgery in his right knee, which contributed to a slow start. He was waived on August 21, 1989.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

In August 1989, he was signed as a free agent by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. On August 30, he was cut after playing in the final two preseason games. On September 26, he was re-signed. On October 13, he was released to make room for quarterback Kerwin Bell.

Cleveland Browns

On February 26, 1990, he was signed by the Cleveland Browns. He was released before the start of the season.