Houston’s All-Time Team: Leon Gray 
Leon Gray
Position: Offensive Tackle
Team: Houston Oilers
Years: 1979-1981
Career: Holdout.
Either as one word or two, this defines the Oiler existence of Leon Gray, a 6’3" offensive tackle who blocked in front of Earl Campbell for three seasons.
A two-time Pro Bowler and five-year veteran with the New England Patriots, Gray lined up with future Hall-Of-Famer John Hannah to provide one of the best guard-tackle tandems in NFL history. They both had the same agent, the infamous Howard Slusher, whose chief bargaining tactic was to keep his talent off the field as long as it took to get what he wanted.
Slusher, Hannah and Gray began a holdout before the 1978 season and the Patriots weren’t happy paying so much for the All-Pro pair as their agent demanded. The two signed late, came back and led the Pats to an AFC East title but, ironically, their postseason ended early when they were upset by the Oilers.
When the pair held out the next season, the Patriots had had enough. A message had to be sent. Enter Bum Phillips. The Oiler coach had just lost left tackle Greg Sampson for the season. He needed a quick solution but even he was surprised to find that Gray was available.
"Usually you don’t get a player at the top of his game in trade," Bum marveled. "Normally you wind up getting someone who’s in decline or is still a prospect. You rarely get a chance to trade for a player that’s in the prime of his career."
The asking price was a first and sixth-round draft choice. Phillips quickly agreed and, as General Manager, got Gray under contract.
What he got was a massive lineman with the quickness to thwart the league’s best pass rushers and the strength to open gaping holes for running backs. Holding out the bad guys was his primary job. It made the blocking for Campbell even better and provided needed protection for a wounded Dan Pastorini.
Gray helped the beat-up Oilers reach the AFC Championship Game in 1979. Gray was named to the Pro Bowl, as he was in 1980 and the strike-torn 1981 season. He ruptured an achilles in 1980 and was not available for the playoff run.
Slusher held him out again in 1982 and Gray was not with the Oilers when the season opened. Phillips had moved on to New Orleans and, on September 17th, obtained Leon for quarterback Archie Manning, a Saint legend on the downside of his career. Manning’s stay in Houston was also brief.
Leon’s career did not last much longer. He returned to New England and worked in construction. His son, Leon Jr., played linebacker at Temple University. Leon was found dead in his Boston-area home at age 49 on November 11th, 2001.
Houston Highlight: With the Oilers trailing the Dallas Cowboys, 21-10, in their famous 1979 Thanksgiving Day showdown at Texas Stadium, Gray made two plays against Pro Bowl DE Harvey Martin that helped propel Houston back into the contest.
On a second and ten from their own 20, Gray was isolated one-on-one versus Martin on a pass play. Martin charged at Dan Pastorini only to have Gray shove him aside at the last moment. Pastorini wound up completing a 29-yard pass to Rich Caster on a crossing route. Later in that same drive, Gray pushed Martin out of the hole and sealed off the linebacking pursuit as Earl Campbell zipped past him untouched for a 24-yard score. Houston would come back to win, 30-24.
Leon Gray 
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