- Jerry Mays (football player)
Infobox Pro Football player
Color=#FF0000
fontcolor=yellow
Name=Jerry Mays
DateOfBirth=November 24 ,1939
Birthplace=Dallas, Texas
DateOfDeath=death date and age|1994|07|17|1939|11|24
Deathplace = Lake Lewisville,Texas
College=Southern Methodist
Position=Defensive end
AFLDraftedYear=1965
AFLDraftedRound=
ProBowls=AFL All-Star 1962, 1964,
1965, 1966, 1967, 1968
NFL Pro Bowl 1970
Awards=
Honors=AFL All-Time Team
years=1961-1962
1963-1969
1970
teams=AFL Dallas Texans
AFLKansas City Chiefs
NFL Kansas City Chiefs
Stats=Y
DatabaseFootball=MAYSJER01
PFR=MaysJe00Gerald Avery Mays (
November 24 ,1939 –July 17 ,1994 ) was a football player who starred collegiately forSouthern Methodist University before becoming a standout at the professional level for theKansas City Chiefs .Early years
Mays put together an all-state career at Sunset High School before heading to SMU, where he served as co-captain and earned All-Southwest Conference honors at defensive tackle. A fifth round draft selection of the
American Football League 's Dallas Texans in 1961, Mays turned down theNational Football League 'sMinnesota Vikings , in order to play near his home inDallas . He soon became a force atdefensive tackle on the Texans' line, continuing his dominancedefensive end when the team relocated in 1963 to become theKansas City Chiefs .Combining emotion and durability with a competitive nature, Mays was a six-time AFL All-Star, and was selected to the All-Star team at two different positions. He played in 126 straight games for the AFL Texans and Chiefs, and used his speed, agility and strong "second effort" to once recover and return a Jets' fumble 58 yards for a touchdown. His contribution to the Chiefs' strong defense helped them defeat the Vikings, 23-7, in
Super Bowl IV . He was a captain inSuper Bowl I and Super Bowl IV.Mays was named to the
All-time All-AFL Team in 1970 and announced his retirement after that season. He then returned to Dallas to work for a construction company owned by his father, Avery. He died of malignantmelanoma cancer in 1994, two years after the death (from cancer) of his former teammate,Buck Buchanan . The other starting defensive end from the Super Bowl team, Aaron Brown, was killed in 1997 when struck by a car from behind, leavingCurley Culp as the lone survivor of the Chiefs' vaunted front four from the championship club.ee also
*
List of American Football League players
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