Alec Gray was a real old-fashioned sportsman/academic. He excelled at all sports, especially tennis, and, having taken his ‘Matriculation’ at 14, entered teacher training college. Thereafter, he taught in whatever town he was playing football. He played against Southport in the second game of 1932–33 for Chester and, after little more than three months with the club, was transferred to Carlisle United within a week of scoring in their 4–0 defeat at Haig Avenue. His footwork and ball control were good, but he was a little short of stamina, which might be accounted for by the fact that he spent his weekdays teaching at Leeds.His best work was at Rotherham United, where during his two seasons he made 67 appearances, scoring 13 goals. He never really enjoyed professional football but could not afford to turn down the wages which supplemented his meagre teaching income. Latterly, he became a head teacher at one or two schools in Yorkshire and contributed articles on a multitude of subjects to the Yorkshire Evening Post. He died of a huge coronary attack at home after a day at school when only 50—his father and brother died at the same age.

Profile reproduced with Permission from:
The Sandgrounders: The Complete League History of Southport F. C., by Michael Braham and Geoff Wilde (Palatine Books, 1995). ISBN 978-1-874181-14-9