Jerry Mays (defensive lineman)

American football player (1939–1994) For other people with the same name, see Jerry Mays (disambiguation).

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American football player

Jerry Mays

No. 75

Position:

Defensive end

Personal information

Born:

November 24, 1939
Dallas, Texas, U.S.

Died:

July 17, 1994(1994-07-17) (aged 54)
Lake Lewisville, Texas, U.S.

Height:

6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)

Weight:

252 lb (114 kg)

Career information

High school:

Sunset

College:

SMU

NFL draft:

1961 / round: 11 / pick: 141

AFL draft:

1961 / round: 5 / pick: 38

Career history

Dallas Texans/Kansas City Chiefs (1961–1970)

Career highlights and awards

6× AFL All-Star (1962, 1964–1968)
2× First-team All-AFL (1965, 1966)
6× Second-team All-AFL (1962–1964, 1967–1969)
Pro Bowl (1970)
3× AFL champion (1962, 1966, 1969)
Super Bowl champion (IV)
AFL All-Time Team
Kansas City Chiefs Hall of Fame
First-team All-SWC (1960)

Career NFL statistics

Games played:	140
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Gerald Avery Mays (November 24, 1939 – July 17, 1994) was an American professional football player who was a defensive end for the Dallas Texans/Kansas City Chiefs. He played college football for the SMU Mustangs.

Biography

Gerald (Jerry) Avery Mays was born in Dallas, TX to Avery Mays and Eva Blanche Ponder Mays on November 24, 1939. He had one older sister, Joyce. Growing up he worked after school and during the summesr cleaning up construction sites for his father's company, Mays Construction Co. in Dallas.

Mays put together an all-state career at Sunset High School before heading to Southern Methodist University, where he served as co-captain for the Mustangs 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 the National Football League's Minnesota Vikings, in order to play near his home in Dallas. He soon became a force at defensive tackle on the Texans' line, continuing his dominance at the defensive end when the team relocated in 1963 to become the Kansas 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 in Super 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 malignant melanoma cancer on July 17,1994, 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, leaving Curley Culp as the lone survivor of the Chiefs' vaunted front four from the championship club up until Culp's death in November 2021.

Mays is a Member of the Sunset High School Hall of Fame.

v t e Minnesota Vikings 1961 NFL draft selections
Tommy Mason Rip Hawkins Fran Tarkenton Chuck Lamson Ed Sharockman Jerry Burch Allan Ferrie Paul Lindquist Dan Sheehan Doug Mayberry Jerry Mays Steve Stonebreaker Ray Hayes Ken Petersen Mike Mercer Ted Karpowicz Willie Jones Bob Voight Bill Hill Mike McFarland

v t e Dallas Texans 1961 AFL draft selections
E. J. Holub Bob Lilly Jim Tyrer Claude Moorman Jerry Mays Fred Arbanas John O'Day Dick Mills Jerry Daniels Marvin Tibbets Paul Hynes Glynn Gregory Curtis McClinton Ed Nutting Roy Lee Rambo Aaron Thomas Jarrell Williams Ron Hartline Frank Jackson Bobby Lane Dick Thornton Ed Sharockman Lou Zivkovich Pat Dye Ray Ramsey Danny House Bob Schloredt Bill Stine Lonnie Caddell Cedric Price

Dallas Texans 1961 AFL draft selections

v t e Dallas Texans 1962 AFL champions
1 Tom Pennington 10 Jimmy Saxton 12 Eddie Wilson 14 Bobby Ply 16 Len Dawson 19 Cotton Davidson 20 Bobby Hunt 26 Frank Jackson 28 Abner Haynes 30 Jack Spikes 32 Curtis McClinton 35 Smokey Stover 42 Johnny Robinson 44 Edward Kelley 45 Dave Grayson 48 Duane Wood 54 Ted Greene 55 E. J. Holub 56 Walt Corey 60 Al Reynolds 63 Marvin Terrell 64 Curt Merz 65 Jon Gilliam 66 Sonny Bishop 67 Carl Larpenter 69 Sherrill Headrick 72 Paul Rochester 74 Jerry Cornelison 75 Jerry Mays 77 Jim Tyrer 79 Charley Diamond 81 Tommy Brooker 82 Bill Miller 84 Fred Arbanas 85 Bill Hull 86 Dick Davis 87 Mel Branch 88 Chris Burford Head coach: Hank Stram Assistant coaches: Tom Catlin Bob Ghilotti Ed Hughes Bill Walsh

Dallas Texans 1962 AFL champions

Head coach: Hank Stram

Assistant coaches: Tom Catlin
Bob Ghilotti
Ed Hughes
Bill Walsh

v t e Kansas City Chiefs 1966 AFL champions
52 Bud Abell 84 Fred Arbanas 10 Pete Beathard 78 Bobby Bell 61 Dennis Biodrowski 38 Solomon Brannan 81 Tommy Brooker 87 Aaron Brown 86 Buck Buchanan 71 Ed Budde 88 Chris Burford 80 Reggie Carolan 23 Bert Coan 56 Walt Corey 16 Len Dawson 72 Tony DiMidio 66 Wayne Frazier 21 Mike Garrett 65 Jon Gilliam 69 Sherrill Headrick 73 Dave Hill 12 Jimmy Hill 55 E. J. Holub 20 Bobby Hunt 85 Chuck Hurston 82 Ed Lothamer 75 Jerry Mays 32 Curtis McClinton 15 Mike Mercer 64 Curt Merz 22 Willie Mitchell 25 Frank Pitts 14 Bobby Ply 60 Al Reynolds 58 Andy Rice 42 Johnny Robinson 76 Hatch Rosdahl 17 Fletcher Smith 35 Smokey Stover 89 Otis Taylor 18 Emmitt Thomas 45 Gene Thomas 77 Jim Tyrer 24 Fred Williamson 44 Jerrel Wilson Head coach: Hank Stram Assistant coaches: Tom Bettis Darrel Brewster Tommy O'Boyle Tom Pratt Bill Walsh

Kansas City Chiefs 1966 AFL champions

Head coach: Hank Stram

v t e American Football League All-Time Team
Joe Namath Len Dawson Clem Daniels Paul Lowe Lance Alworth Don Maynard Cookie Gilchrist Abner Haynes Charlie Hennigan Art Powell Fred Arbanas Dave Kocourek Ron Mix Jim Tyrer Winston Hill Stew Barber Ed Budde Billy Shaw Walt Sweeney Bob Talamini Jim Otto Jon Morris George Blanda Jim Turner Jerrel Wilson Bob Scarpitto Jerry Mays Gerry Philbin Rich Jackson Ron McDole Houston Antwine Tom Sestak Buck Buchanan Tom Keating Nick Buoniconti Bobby Bell George Webster Dan Conners Larry Grantham Mike Stratton Willie Brown Dave Grayson Butch Byrd Miller Farr Johnny Robinson George Saimes Goose Gonsoulin Kenny Graham Weeb Ewbank Sid Gillman

American Football League All-Time Team

v t e Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl IV champions
3 Jan Stenerud 6 Warren McVea 10 Mike Livingston 12 Tom Flores 14 Ed Podolak 15 Jacky Lee 16 Len Dawson (MVP) 18 Emmitt Thomas 20 Goldie Sellers 21 Mike Garrett 22 Willie Mitchell 23 Paul Lowe 24 Caesar Belser 25 Frank Pitts 30 Gloster Richardson 32 Curtis McClinton 38 Wendell Hayes 40 Jim Marsalis 42 Johnny Robinson 44 Jerrel Wilson 45 Robert Holmes 46 Jim Kearney 51 Jim Lynch 55 E. J. Holub 60 George Daney 61 Curley Culp 63 Willie Lanier 65 Remi Prudhomme 66 Bob Stein 71 Ed Budde 73 Dave Hill 74 Gene Trosch 75 Jerry Mays 76 Mo Moorman 77 Jim Tyrer 78 Bobby Bell 82 Ed Lothamer 84 Fred Arbanas 85 Chuck Hurston 86 Buck Buchanan 87 Aaron Brown 88 Morris Stroud 89 Otis Taylor
Head coach: Hank Stram
Coaches: Tom Bettis John Beake Darrel Brewster Tommy O'Boyle Tom Pratt Bill Walsh

v t e Kansas City Chiefs Hall of Fame
John Alt Kimble Anders Fred Arbanas Gary Barbaro Bobby Bell Buck Buchanan Ed Budde Chris Burford Lloyd Burruss Carlos Carson Deron Cherry Curley Culp Len Dawson Joe Delaney Mike Garrett Tony Gonzalez Gary Green Tim Grunhard Dante Hall Abner Haynes Sherrill Headrick Dave Hill Priest Holmes Lamar Hunt E.J. Holub Willie Lanier Mack Lee Hill Albert Lewis Nick Lowery Jim Lynch Jerry Mays Curtis McClinton Christian Okoye Ed Podolak Tony Richardson Johnny Robinson Kevin Ross Jack Rudnay Marty Schottenheimer Will Shields Neil Smith Gary Spani Jack Steadman Jan Stenerud Art Still Hank Stram Otis Taylor Emmitt Thomas Derrick Thomas Jim Tyrer Brian Waters Jerrel Wilson

Kansas City Chiefs Hall of Fame