Al Gross (American football)

Alfred Ellis Gross, Jr. (born January 4, 1961) is a former professional American football player who played safety for five seasons for the Cleveland Browns. He played college football at the University of Arizona.

Professional career

Dallas Cowboys

Gross was selected in the 9th round (246th overall) of the 1983 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys. At his request, he was released very early in training camp (August 1, 1983).^[1]

Cleveland Browns

He was claimed off waivers by the Cleveland Browns 2 days later. His early contributions came playing on special teams and backing up both safety positions.

In 1984, he was named the starter at strong safety and was part of a secondary that earned the nickname "Dawgs", while helping the defensive unit to finish second overall in the NFL. He led the team two years in a row (1984 and 1985) with 5 interceptions.

On September 9, 1986, he was placed on the injured reserve list with a knee injury.^[2]

In 1987, he started the first four games of the season at free safety, before experiencing complications from a knee injury he suffered the year before. He lost his starting position to Felix Wright and was placed on the inactive list during the last 4 games of the regular season and the playoffs.^[3]

On August 4, 1988, he requested to be released from the Browns roster, after feeling he wasn't getting much work in training camp.^[4] He finished his career with 261 tackles, 11 interceptions, 6 fumble recoveries and 2 touchdowns.

References

External links

• Gross is key leader for browns defense
• Browns picking off passes for Africa's starving people