MarQueis Gray facts for kids
Gray with the Bills in 2014
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| Position: | Tight end | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | November 7, 1989 Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S. |
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| Height: | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 260 lb (118 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Indianapolis (IN) Ben Davis | ||||||||
| College: | Minnesota (2008–2012) | ||||||||
| Undrafted: | 2013 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||||||||
MarQueis Gray (born November 7, 1989) is a former American football player. He played as a tight end, a position where players block and catch passes. He started his football journey in college at Minnesota. After college, he joined the San Francisco 49ers in 2013 as an undrafted free agent. This means he wasn't chosen in the main draft but signed with a team afterward. He also played for other teams like the Cleveland Browns, Minnesota Vikings, Buffalo Bills, and Miami Dolphins.
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High School Football Star
MarQueis Gray grew up in Indianapolis, Indiana. He played high school football at Ben Davis High School. He was a starting player for three years. His coach was Mike Kirschner. Experts thought he was a very talented player.
- Top Rankings: Websites that rank athletes, like Rivals.com, called him a four-star prospect. They said he was one of the best "dual-threat" quarterbacks in the country. A dual-threat quarterback can both throw the ball well and run with it.
- Special Camps: MarQueis was chosen to go to the Elite 11 Quarterback Camp. He also played in the famous U.S. Army All-American Bowl. In that game, he threw for 56 yards and a touchdown. He also ran for 41 yards and another touchdown.
During his senior year, MarQueis broke a bone in his non-throwing arm. This meant he only played in five games. Even with the injury, he still threw for 376 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran for 302 yards and four touchdowns. In his junior year, he threw for over 1,100 yards and 12 touchdowns. He also ran for over 600 yards and seven touchdowns.
MarQueis decided to play college football at the University of Minnesota. He also had scholarship offers from many other universities.
College Football Journey
MarQueis Gray started his college career in 2008. However, he had to sit out his first year. This was because his ACT test score had some issues.
Playing Multiple Positions
He returned to the team in 2009. He played as both a quarterback and a wide receiver. A wide receiver is a player who catches passes. In a game against Ohio State, he had a great performance. He threw his first touchdown pass and ran for 81 yards. He also scored his first college touchdown by catching a pass against Cal. He ended his first season as one of the team's top rushers.
In 2010, during his sophomore year, MarQueis played in all 12 games. He started seven games as a wide receiver. He caught 42 passes for 587 yards and scored five touchdowns. He also ran for 119 yards.
Starting Quarterback and Beyond
For the 2011 season, MarQueis was named the starting quarterback for the Minnesota Gophers. He threw for 1,495 yards and eight touchdowns that season.
In 2012, he continued to show his running skills. He had his fifth game where he ran for over 100 yards. Later in the season, he moved back to wide receiver. This allowed another player, Philip Nelson, to start at quarterback.
Overall, during his college career, MarQueis Gray showed his versatility. He was a player who could do many different things on the field.
Professional Football Career
After college, MarQueis Gray entered the NFL Scouting Combine. This is where college players show off their skills to professional teams. He ran a fast 40-yard dash for a quarterback. Even though he played wide receiver in college, he worked out with the quarterback group at the Combine.
San Francisco 49ers
MarQueis was not chosen in the 2013 NFL draft. However, he signed with the San Francisco 49ers as an undrafted free agent. He first worked out as a halfback but then moved to tight end. The 49ers later released him from the team.
Cleveland Browns
On September 1, 2013, the Cleveland Browns picked up MarQueis. He was mainly used as a blocking tight end. He also played as a fullback or H-back. These positions often involve blocking for other players. He was also the emergency third-string quarterback. The Browns released him in 2014.
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings then picked up MarQueis on August 31, 2014. He caught one pass for 16 yards with the Vikings. He was released by the team in November 2014.
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills then picked him up on November 20, 2014. In 2015, he broke his forearm. This injury ended his season early. He finished that season with one catch for two yards in four games.
Miami Dolphins
On March 31, 2016, MarQueis signed with the Miami Dolphins. He signed a two-year contract extension with them in December 2016. He also played as a fullback for the Dolphins. He sometimes carried the ball for short gains. In the 2016 season, he caught 14 passes for 174 yards in 16 games. In 2017, he played in all 16 games. He ran for 14 yards and caught one pass for 10 yards.
In September 2018, MarQueis was placed on injured reserve. This happened after he tore his Achilles tendon during practice. This injury meant he missed the entire 2018 season. The injury did not heal well, so he had another surgery in March 2019. This forced him to miss the 2019 season as well.
San Francisco 49ers (Second Time)
On August 29, 2020, MarQueis Gray signed with the San Francisco 49ers again. However, he was released by the team on September 5 during the final roster cuts.
NFL Career Highlights
MarQueis Gray played in 61 NFL games during his career. He started 14 of those games. He had 11 rushing attempts for a total of 57 yards. He also caught 27 passes for 328 receiving yards. His longest reception was for 53 yards. He was a versatile player who contributed to his teams in various ways.
