Ted Gregory
American football player (born 1965) / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Theodore Anthony Gregory (born February 11, 1965) is an American former professional football player who was a defensive tackle for one season with the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Syracuse Orangemen, earning consensus All-American honors in 1987. Gregory was selected in the first round of the 1988 NFL Draft by the Denver Broncos.[1] He listed his height as 6'1".[2] However, a shocked Dan Reeves, who is also listed as 6'1"[3] commented, "I'm taller than he is!" upon meeting Gregory after the draft. By Reeves's estimate, Gregory was closer to 5'9".[4]
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Position: | Defensive tackle |
Personal information | |
Born: | (1965-02-11) February 11, 1965 (age 59) Queens, New York, U.S. |
Height: | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
Weight: | 260 lb (118 kg) |
Career information | |
High school: | East Islip (Islip Terrace, New York) |
College: | Syracuse |
NFL draft: | 1988 / Round: 1 / Pick: 26 |
Career history | |
Career highlights and awards | |
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Gregory had injured his knee in his last collegiate game, and the knee gave out during training camp. Following scathing criticism from the press for wasting a pick on damaged goods, the Broncos traded him to the Saints for Shawn Knight before the season.[5] He is now regarded as one of the biggest draft busts in Broncos' history.[6] After the Gregory incident the Broncos began meeting with potential draft picks prior to the draft, a practice they had not previously engaged in.[citation needed]
Gregory blew out his knee in this third game with the Saints, and never played in the NFL again. After a series of failed business ventures drained his life savings, he took a job as a construction worker, only to have that end due to a ruptured disc in his back that temporarily rendered him a paraplegic.[5] Gregory placed 8th in Deadspin's "The 100 Worst NFL Players of All Time".[7]