[1] He graduated from East Side High School in Olive Branch and earned academic and music scholarships to Jackson State University.
[1] Gray and Hannah also combined with tight end Russ Francis to form one of the strongest left-side trios in the league.
Due in no small part to the efforts of Gray and Hannah, the Patriots enjoyed one of the finest seasons in franchise history in '76, finishing with an 11-3 record.
The two teams had met at Schaefer Stadium in week four of the regular season and the Patriots had handed the Raiders their only loss, a 48-17 drubbing.
The rematch in Oakland would not go as well and the team's hopes of winning it all were ended by a close and controversial loss to the eventual Super Bowl champions in the 1976 AFC Divisional playoff round.
At the convincing of agent Howard Slusher,[7] Gray and Hannah walked out on the Patriots before the team's final preseason game in an effort to get their contracts renegotiated.
The team won eight of the eleven games that Gray and Hannah played and started in, but their 9-5 overall record was not enough to make it into the 1977 AFC playoff field.
The team rebounded from the tragic injury suffered by wide receiver Darryl Stingley during a pre-season game against the Raiders to once again emerge as contenders during the 1978 NFL season.
The emergence of second-year pro Stanley Morgan and the acquisition of All-Pro Harold Jackson to go along with Russ Francis made their passing attack more potent.
Running the ball was still first priority for the team, however, and the Patriots finished that season with a team-total of 3,165 yards, an NFL record that stood for over 40 years.
However, as with the previous season, they were denied a trip to the Super Bowl by their chief rival (and defending champion), the Pittsburgh Steelers, in the AFC Championship game.