| Eddie Gray |
Full Name: Charles Edward Gray, Jr.
Born: January 14, 1932, Clearwater, Fla.
Died: April 24, 2015, Tallahassee, Fla.
School: Leon High School in Tallahassee, Florida
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| FSU Career |
| Football | |
Year No Pos Hgt Wgt Cl Ltr Hometown 1950 22 HB 5-10 168 Fr * Tallahassee |
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| Comments |
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Charles Edward Gray Jr Obituary. Posted by Culley's MeadowWood Funeral Home, Tallahassee, Fla. Charles Edward Gray, Jr., 83, of Tallahassee died Friday (4/24). He was born at Morton Plant Hospital in Clearwater, FL on Jan 14th, 1932. He lived in Clearwater for the first 5 years, then moved with parents to Madison, FL for 2 years, then to Tallahassee, FL from '38 – 1940. Then to Lake City, FL from 1940 to 1942, then returned to Tallahassee where his growing up years remained until 1954 when he joined the U.S. Air Force. His grammar school years were in Sealy Memorial School and he then attended Leon High School. He was class vice-president his junior year at Leon High and president of the Senior High Glee Club. Eddie played varsity football and track. He was selected all Northeast Conference 1st string tailback his senior year. Active in the Boy Scouts he obtained the rank of Eagle Scout. He obtained his Baccalaureate degree in accounting from FSU in 1954, along with his graduate degree and military commission as a 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force from the FSU Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) in 1954 as well. He played varsity football at FSU in 1950 & 1951 as wingback. He obtained a Master's Degree in Public Administration from Golden Gate University in 1999. He completed his pilot training and earned his wings in September 1955 from Goodfellow AFB, Texas in San Angelo. He went on the Randolph AFB for Advance Flight Training in the C-119 "Flying Boxcar" after which was assigned duty as an RB-47 co-pilot at Forbes AFB, Kansas near Topeka, KS. He remained a co-pilot on a select combat crew from 1955 to 1960. He went through the pilot upgrading program at McConnell AFB, Kansas (Wichita) in 1960, returning to Forbes AFB where he became a select crew Aircraft Commander until 1965. He flew numerous top secret missions in overseas locations around the periphery of the Soviet Union, China, Korea and Cuba. Many of these missions resulted in getting very important information on communist countries first line of radar and missile capabilities. He served from 1966 to retirement in 1978 in the intelligence career field high level headquarters; such as Saigon in the Military Assistance Command Vietnam (MACV) as a psychological warfare Officer in 1967-68, serving directly under the Vietnam Army Commander, General Westmoreland; the Pentagon in Washington DC as a senior Air Staff Intelligence Officer; at the U.S. Readiness Command (formerly Strikecommand) at MacDill AFB, Tampa, FL. Retired at the rank of Lt. Colonel. Decorations include: Distinguished Flying Cross, Meritorious Service Medal, Bronze Star, Air Medal, Air Force Commendation Medal, Joint Service Commendation Medal, along with an assortment of special citations and awards for participation in specific units and area of the world. He obtained his training and licensing as a Realtor in Leon County, FL in 1981, where he was actively involved in a full time career in real estate. He was fortunate and blessed by God in the successes he had in this effort. His goal had always been to remain active in this career field until reaching the age of 67. Eddie married his one and only lifetime sweetheart, Lisbeth Ann Blitch, on September 7, 1955. Known as Libby, she traveled with him throughout his military career from Texas through to Florida, with the exception of that one year remote tour of duty in Vietnam in 1967-1968. They were blessed by the Lord with a very close and loving family, including four children and numerous grandchildren. He resided at a beautiful five acre mini-farm in the
country just east of Tallahassee, where one of his greatest joys was having
family get togethers and reunions on "Eddie's Hill" in the beautiful
rolling hills of northern Florida. He was very active in the
non-denominational Bible Church – Grace Church of Tallahassee, as a
Deacon and as Church Treasurer. He had also been an active member of the
Capital Chordsmen Barber Shop Chorus in Tallahassee and served a chapter
president for two years (2002-2003). |
| FSU Statistics |
| Football |
Season Statistics
Defense
| Tackles | Sacks | Fumble | Pass Defense | Blkd | PAT Attempts | | | |
Year GP | ua a Tot tfl-yds | no-yds | ff fr-yds-td | int-yds-td qbh brup | kick | kick rsh rcv | fg | saf dxp | td | pts
---------|----------------------|----------|--------------|---------------------|------|-----------------|--------|---------|----|----
1950 8 | 0 0 0 0.0- 0 | 0.0- 0 | 0 0- 0- 0 | 0- 0- 0 0 0 | 0 | 0- 0 0 0 | 0- 0 | 0 0 | 2 | 12
---------|----------------------|----------|--------------|---------------------|------|-----------------|--------|---------|----|----
Tot 8 | 0 0 0 0.0- 0 | 0.0- 0 | 0 0- 0- 0 | 0- 0- 0 0 0 | 0 | 0- 0 0 0 | 0- 0 | 0 0 | 2 | 12
|
Offense/Kick and Punt Returns
| Rushing | Receiving | Passing | Kick Returns | Punt Returns | all
Year GP | no yds avg td lg | no yds avg td lg | cmp- att-int yds td lg | no yds avg td lg | no yds avg td lg | purp
---------|----------------------|----------------------|--------------------------|-----------------------|-----------------------|-----
1950 8 | 39 146 3.7 0 | 9 234 26.0 2 80t | 0- 0 - 0 0 0 | 0 0 0.0 0 | 0 0 0.0 0 | 380
---------|----------------------|----------------------|--------------------------|-----------------------|-----------------------|-----
Tot 8 | 39 146 3.7 0 | 9 234 26.0 2 80t | 0- 0- 0 0 0 | 0 0 0.0 0 | 0 0 0.0 0 | 380
|
| Football |
Game Participation
| Starts
1950 | GP Off Def
----------------------------|--------------
Sep 30 Troy State | 1 RH DB
Oct 7 Randolph-Macon Coll | 1 RH DB
Oct 14 Howard | 1 RH DB
Oct 21 Newberry College | 1 RH DB
Oct 28 Sewanee | 1 RH DB
Nov 10 Stetson | 1 RH DB
Nov 18 Mississippi College | 1
Nov 25 Tampa | 1
----------------------------|--------------
Tot | 8 6 6
----------------------------|--------------
Career Tot | 8 6 6
|
| Football |
Game Statistics
| Tackles | Sacks | Fumble | Pass Defense | Blkd | PAT Attempts | | | |
1950 | ua a Tot tfl-yds | no-yds | ff fr-yds-td | int-yds-td qbh brup | kick | kick rsh rcv | fg | saf dxp | td | pts
----------------------------|----------------------|----------|--------------|---------------------|------|-----------------|--------|---------|----|----
Oct 7 Randolph-Macon Coll | 0 0 0 0.0- 0 | 0.0- 0 | 0 0- 0- 0 | 0- 0- 0 0 0 | 0 | 0- 0 0 0 | 0- 0 | 0 0 | 1 | 6
Oct 14 Howard | 0 0 0 0.0- 0 | 0.0- 0 | 0 0- 0- 0 | 0- 0- 0 0 0 | 0 | 0- 0 0 0 | 0- 0 | 0 0 | 0 | 0
Oct 21 Newberry College | 0 0 0 0.0- 0 | 0.0- 0 | 0 0- 0- 0 | 0- 0- 0 0 0 | 0 | 0- 0 0 0 | 0- 0 | 0 0 | 1 | 6
Oct 28 Sewanee | 0 0 0 0.0- 0 | 0.0- 0 | 0 0- 0- 0 | 0- 0- 0 0 0 | 0 | 0- 0 0 0 | 0- 0 | 0 0 | 0 | 0
Nov 25 Tampa | 0 0 0 0.0- 0 | 0.0- 0 | 0 0- 0- 0 | 0- 0- 0 0 0 | 0 | 0- 0 0 0 | 0- 0 | 0 0 | 0 | 0
----------------------------|----------------------|----------|--------------|---------------------|------|-----------------|--------|---------|----|----
Tot | 0 0 0 0.0- 0 | 0.0- 0 | 0 0- 0- 0 | 0- 0- 0 0 0 | 0 | 0- 0 0 0 | 0- 0 | 0 0 | 2 | 12
|
| Rushing | Receiving | Passing | Kick Returns | Punt Returns | all
1950 | no yds avg td lg | no yds avg td lg | cmp- att-int yds td lg | no yds avg td lg | no yds avg td lg | purp
----------------------------|----------------------|----------------------|--------------------------|-----------------------|-----------------------|-----
Oct 7 Randolph-Macon Coll | 5 45 9.0 0 | 2 30 15.0 1 | 0- 0- 0 0 0 | 1 26 26.0 0 | 0 0 0.0 0 | 101
Oct 14 Howard | 2 13 6.5 0 | 2 68 34.0 0 | 0- 0- 0 0 0 | 0 0 0.0 0 | 0 0 0.0 0 | 81
Oct 21 Newberry College | 0 0 0.0 0 | 1 80 80.0 1 | 0- 0- 0 0 0 | 1 20 20.0 0 | 0 0 0.0 0 | 100
Oct 28 Sewanee | 6 17 2.8 0 | 0 0 0.0 0 | 0- 0- 0 0 0 | 0 0 0.0 0 | 0 0 0.0 0 | 17
Nov 25 Tampa | 1 2 2.0 0 | 0 0 0.0 0 | 0- 0- 0 0 0 | 0 0 0.0 0 | 0 0 0.0 0 | 2
----------------------------|----------------------|----------------------|--------------------------|-----------------------|-----------------------|-----
Tot | 14 77 5.5 0 | 5 178 35.6 2 | 0- 0- 0 0 0 | 2 46 23.0 0 | 0 0 0.0 0 | 301
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