This page refers to the Detroit Lions kick returner. For the St. Louis Cardinals wide receiver, see Mel Gray.Melvin Junius Gray (born March 16, 1961) is a former American football kickoff returner in the National Football League (NFL). He played with the New Orleans Saints, Detroit Lions, Houston Oilers and Philadelphia Eagles. He began his professional career for the Los Angeles Express of the United States Football League (USFL), following his college football career as a running back at Purdue. Gray attended Lafayette High School in Williamsburg, Virginia, where he was teammates with future NFL players Lawrence Taylor and Ron Springs. Gray is widely considered to be one of the greatest return specialists of all-time in the NFL. He holds the record for being the first, second, and third-oldest player to return a kickoff for a touchdown (33 years, 276 days; 33 years, 235 days; and 33 years, 221 days).