There are 101 days between us and the New Orleans Saints‘ season opener, which means Mel Gray’s 101-yard kick return touchdown is the Saints Play of the Day. Gray stunned the San Francisco 49ers with a much-needed score to start the second half, giving the Saints a narrow lead at old Candlestick Park (which you can see here). Gray took the kick out of the end zone and worked his way through traffic, somehow keeping his feet before slipping out at midfield. And once he put the 49ers coverage unit in a disadvantageous position behind him, he was gone.
It wasn’t enough to win the day, but Gray’s efforts kept the Saints competitive. Spotty quarterback play from Dave Wilson required a trick pass from running back Dalton Hilliard to wide receiver Eugene Goodlow to score the team’s only other touchdown. They just didn’t have the firepower to keep up with San Francisco.
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Gray did earn his place in New Orleans Saints franchise history. His 101-yard play set the record for the team’s longest kick return, and it stood until 1997 when Eric Guliford beat him by one yard. Alvin Kamara beat them both in 2017 with his 106-yard effort, but he’s surpassed a lot of special players in his career.
As for Gray? He spent his 12-year NFL career working on special teams, and left for a fresh start with the Detroit Lions in 1989. That proved to be a good move, as he earned four Pro Bowl nods in five years during his time with Detroit, also spending time with the Houston Oilers and Philadelphia Eagles before calling it a career. He finished with 10,250 kick return yards, fourth-most in NFL history, and was selected for the All-1990s Team by the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The former second-round pick in the 1984 supplemental draft (out of Purdue) did really well for himself in the end.
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Week 2 at Baltimore Ravens, Sunday, Sept. 20, Noon CT
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Week 2 at Baltimore Ravens, Sunday, Sept. 20, Noon CT
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Week 3 vs. Las Vegas Raiders, Sunday, Sept. 27, 3:25 p.m. CT
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Week 13 vs. Green Bay Packers, Sunday, Dec. 6, Noon CT
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Week 14 at Carolina Panthers, Sunday, Dec. 13, Noon CT
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Week 15 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Sunday, Dec. 20, Noon CT
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This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Saints Play of the Day: Mel Gray stuns 49ers with 101-yard return TD