A graduate of Washington High School, Kenny Gray was a standout athlete during his high school days, participating in cross country, track and basketball. He was the sectional champion in the high jump, as well as the WHS record holder in the two-mile run, but his greatest success coming on the basketball court where he was a starter on two Hatchet teams that were regional finalists.

His basketball prowess led to him earning a basketball scholarship at Vincennes University, where he became the first player in Trailblazer history to score more than 1,000 points. He was named team MVP during his sophomore campaign, averaging 20 points a game his first year and 23 per contest his second year with the Trailblazers, finishing as the all-time scoring leader at the time of his graduation with 1,244 points, while helping his team to back to back seasons of 26-3, including a regional finals berth his final year.

After earning his Associates Degree from VU, Gray accepted a basketball scholarship to Louisiana State University. However, after his first semester out of state, he returned to his home region to play as a member of the Mighty Oaks, under the direction of head coach Delbert Disler.



Standing at 5’9”, Gray was known as a fantastic outside shooter during his time earning Oakland City Mr. Basketball honors in the 1959-60 campaign. Fellow OCU Hall of Famer Charlie Brauser, who was a freshman during Gray’s senior season, said of his former teammate, “there was no three-point basket then, but he was quite the jump shooter. Not only was he a good shooter, he was a nice guy.”



The 1959-60 team was the first Oakland City team to win the NAIA District 21 tournament title, advancing out of the Indianapolis tournament to play in the NAIA National Tournament, held in Kansas City, Missouri. The Mighty Oaks were the first independent team to win a District 21 title, with Gray playing a pivotal role in their success, with a scoring average of 15.6 points per contest, second on the team to now fellow OCU Hall of Fame member Joe Todrank.



Following his time as a Mighty Oak, Gray began a teaching and coaching career that lasted over 37 years until his death in 1997. He began coaching basketball at Edwardsport in 1960, where he led his team to a 22-19 record in two seasons, followed by a year at South Vigo, where his team finished with a 16-8 mark, winning the Wabash Valley Prelim Championship. He returned to his alma mater as a teacher at Washington High School in 1963, then began coaching the Hatchets in 1965, where they went 22-2, winning a sectional championship. He coached at Washington until 1971, leading the team to a record of 84-54 overall in six seasons.

He then joined another of his alma maters, serving as an assistant coach at Vincennes University from 1974-77, helping the Blazers reach the National Junior College Athletic Association finals in Hutchinson, Kansas, in the 1974-75 and 1976-77 seasons.

From 1977-79, he was an assistant coach at Texas Christian University, in Forth Worth, Texas, where he worked under head coach Tim Somerville. His coaching career took him to South Knox High School as well as Martinsville High School.



Gray married Terri Holland in 1985, who passed away in 2004, and they had one son, Mark Gray, who is married to Lynn (Ready) Gray. Mark and Lynn have two daughters, Emily and Katie.