Education
Gregory attended Abilene High School, where he developed into one of the greatest athletes in Texas high school history.
Gregory attended Abilene High School, where he developed into one of the greatest athletes in Texas high school history.
Following an outstanding prep career, he played at Southern Methodist University. He earned All-American (twice) and All-State (twice) honors as a running back in football, while playing a key role in three state championships (1954-1956) and Abilene"s legendary national record-setting 49 consecutive victories. He was a part of 37 straight wins and never lost a game in high school.
As junior he rushed for 1,174 yards.
Gregory received All-State honors and was one of the region"s brightest pro-baseball prospects as a switch-hitting catcher, while contributing to the school winning two state championships. The Cleveland Indians valued his signing so much, that they offered a contract with a $75,000 bonus, the third-richest ever at the time.
He was named Honorable-mention All-state as a shooting guard in basketball. Although he didn"t practice track because of time conflicts with the other sports, but was involved in the Abilene Recreation Department program, registering a 100-yard dash in 9.8 seconds.
In 1969, he was inducted into the Texas High School Football Hall of Fame.
In 2013, he was inducted into the Big Country Athletic Hall of Fame. After graduating from high school in 1956, he was a highly touted and sought after college football recruit and ultimately accepted an athletic scholarship from Southern Methodist University. The National Collegiate Athletic Association would later give a one-year no sanction probation to SMU, for a $300 dollars summer job as an oil scout, given to Gregory by a Dallas-based oil company.
In his sophomore year, with Don Meredith as his quarterback, he had 55 rushes for 208 yards and 16 receptions for 189 yards.
The next season, he led the Southwest Conference and tied for ninth in the nation with 30 receptions for 369 yards, while registering 50 runs for 269 yards. He played as a halfback, punter, defensive back and was voted the team"s player of the year.
As a senior he was limited with a rib injury, recording 28 rushes for 95 yards and 8 receptions for 120 yards in 10 games. He finished his college career, earning three letters each in football and basketball.
He also received All-Southwest Conference honors in both sports.
In 1984, he was inducted into the SMU Athletics Hall of Fame. Gregory was selected in the ninth round (114th overall) of the 1961 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys and in the thirteenth round (102nd overall) of the 1961 American Federation of Labor-Congress Draft by the Dallas Texans. He opted to sign with the Cowboys, turning down multiple offers to play professional baseball.
As a rookie he was used at 5 different positions on offense and defense.
The next year his career was cut short by a knee injury he suffered in training camp and he finished his contract on the taxi squad. He worked for 31 years in the Equitable Life Insurance Company.
Gregory became a 33rd-degree Mason and was a member of the National Honor Society as a schoolboy.