Carlton Patrick Gray (born June 26, 1971) is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback for eight seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the UCLA Bruins, and was recognized as an All-American. He was selected in the second round of the 1993 NFL Draft by the Seattle Seahawks, and also played in the NFL for the Indianapolis Colts, New York Giants and Kansas City Chiefs.

Gray was born in Cincinnati, Ohio.^[1] He went to Forest Park High School in Cincinnati,^[2] and was a prep standout in football, basketball, and track, running for Forest Park under coaches Lou Cynkar (High School) and James Michael Lafferty (junior high). He was awarded the Dial Award for the national high school scholar-athlete of the year in 1988. His grandfather, Benjamin Hooks, retired as the executive director of the NAACP.^[3]

Gray attended the University of California, Los Angeles, where he was a four-year starter for the Bruins teams from 1989 to 1992. He earned consensus first-team All-American honors as a senior, as well as first-team All-Pac-10 accolades. He finished second all-time in UCLA history with 16 interceptions. In 1989, he became the first freshman in a decade to start at least eight games for UCLA. In 1991, Gray finished second in the nation with 10 interceptions. After his senior season in 1992, Gray was selected to play in the Hula Bowl and East-West Shrine Game.