Cleveland Gary
{{Short description|American football player (born 1966)}}
{{Infobox NFL biography
| name = Cleveland Gary
| number = 43, 32
| position = Running back
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1966|5|4}}
| birth_place = Stuart, Florida, U.S.
| height_ft = 6
| height_in = 0
| weight_lb = 226
| high_school = South Fork (Stuart)
| college = Georgia
Miami (FL)
| draftyear = 1989
| draftround = 1
| draftpick = 26
| pastteams =
- Los Angeles Rams ({{NFL Year|1989|1993}})
- Miami Dolphins ({{NFL Year|1994}})
- St. Louis Rams ({{NFL Year|1995}})*
| highlights =
- NFL rushing touchdowns co-leader (1990)
- National champion (1987)
- Third-team All-American (1988)
| statlabel1 = Rushing yards
| statvalue1 = 2,645
| statlabel2 = Rushing average
| statvalue2 = 3.9
| statlabel3 = Rushing touchdowns
| statvalue3 = 24
| statlabel4 = Receptions
| statvalue4 = 135
| statlabel5 = Receiving yards
| statvalue5 = 874
| statlabel6 = Receiving touchdowns
| statvalue6 = 5
| pfr = GaryCl00
}}
Cleveland Everette Gary (born May 4, 1966), also known as Cleveland Edward Gary, is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Georgia Bulldogs and Miami Hurricanes. Gary was selected in the first round of the 1989 NFL draft by the Los Angeles Rams.{{Cite web |title=1989 NFL Draft Listing |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/1989/draft.htm |access-date=2023-05-26 |website=Pro-Football-Reference.com }} He led the NFL in touchdowns in 1990 with 14. In 1992 he rushed for 1,125 yards and caught 52 passes.
Early life
Gary attended South Fork High School, where he was an outstanding baseball and football player. In baseball, he played shortstop for the South Fork Bulldogs and was a tremendous power hitter. Against archrival Martin County High School his 450 ft home run over center field wall is noted as the longest hit home run in Bulldog history. In football, he was a Parade Magazine High School Football All-American. In his senior season, he rushed for 2,100 yards and scored 30 touchdowns. He was one of the nations most sought out athletes coming out of high school.
College career
Gary began his college career at the University of Georgia, where in his first start as a true freshman against Clemson he rushed for 101 yards and scored two touchdowns. After his freshman year at Georgia, he made the cover of Inside Sports Magazine and was touted as the best running back in the SEC as a true freshman. After his freshman season at Georgia he transferred to the University of Miami, where he became a first-team All-American and set a school record for most catches (57) ever in a single season by a running back that stills stands. He was voted MVP of the Senior Bowl. Gary also played one season of college baseball for the Hurricanes.
Professional career
Gary was selected by the Los Angeles Rams with the 26th pick of the 1989 NFL draft.{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-04-15-sp-2051-story.html|title=Gary Gets His Crack at Baseball|work=Los Angeles Times|first=Mike|last=Penner|author-link=Mike Penner|date=April 15, 1990|access-date=September 21, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240921230302/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-04-15-sp-2051-story.html|archive-date=September 21, 2024|url-status=live}}
Gary was offered a six-figure baseball contract from the Atlanta Braves in 1989. He played one season of minor league baseball with the rookie-level Bradenton Expos as a left fielder and designated hitter.{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-07-17-sp-154-story.html|title=Gary Is Ready to Get Into Swing of Things : Rams: He struggled as a minor leaguer for Expos, but appears ready to improve his statistics as second-year tailback.|work=Los Angeles Times|first=Chris|last=Dufresne|author-link=Chris Dufresne|date=July 17, 1990|access-date=September 21, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240921231105/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-07-17-sp-154-story.html|archive-date=September 21, 2024|url-status=live}} Gary displayed tremendous power as a hitter.
In 2007, Gary became part owner of the National Indoor Football League, a professional indoor football organization that ran for several seasons in the 2000s.
NFL career statistics
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" | ||||||||||||
| Year | Team | GP | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | LAR
| 10 || 37 || 163 || 4.4 || 18 || 1 || 2 || 13 || 6.5 || 8 || 0 | |||||||||||
| 1990 | LAR
| 15 || 204 || 808 || 4.0 || 48 || 14 || 30 || 150 || 5.0 || 22 || 1 | |||||||||||
| 1991 | LAR
| 10 || 68 || 245 || 3.6 || 14 || 1 || 13 || 110 || 8.5 || 22 || 0 | |||||||||||
| 1992 | LAR
| 16 || 279 || 1,125 || 4.0 || 63 || 7 || 52 || 293 || 5.6 || 22 || 3 | |||||||||||
| 1993 | LAR
| 15 || 79 || 293 || 3.7 || 15 || 1 || 36 || 289 || 8.0 || 60 || 1 | |||||||||||
| 1994 | MIA
| 2 || 7 || 11 || 1.6 || 4 || 0 || 2 || 19 || 9.5 || 11 || 0 | |||||||||||
| colspan="2"| Career | 68 | 674 | 2,645 | 3.9 | 63 | 24 | 135 | 874 | 6.5 | 60 | 5 |
References
{{Reflist}}
{{1987 Miami Hurricanes football navbox}}
{{1989 NFL Draft}}
{{RamsFirstPick}}
{{Los Angeles Rams 1989 draft navbox}}
{{NFL rushing touchdowns leaders}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gary, Cleveland}}
Category:American football running backs
Category:Miami Hurricanes football players
Category:Miami Hurricanes baseball players
Category:Los Angeles Rams players
Category:Miami Dolphins players