SAN JOSE, Calif. – The San Jose Earthquakes announced today that they have hired former defender Kelly Gray as their official club ambassador.
“The San Jose Earthquakes have a great tradition and players like Kelly Gray are a big part of that,” said Earthquakes President David Kaval. “We want to build a true club here with the Earthquakes and having former players as part of the organization is a key component to that. Bringing Troy Dayak back to join our Academy staff and adding Kelly in this new role helps us build that bridge between the past and the present as we continue to grow that sense of club.”
Gray’s duties as club ambassador will include community appearances, weekly blogs on SJEarthquakes.com, co-hosting the Quakes pregame show from the Epicenter Fan Zone and contributions to the Quakes video content on the team’s YouTube channel and official website. He will also serve as a color analyst on a select number of radio broadcasts in 2011.
“I grew up an Earthquakes fan and was fortunate enough to get a chance to play for my hometown team,” said Gray. “Even though my playing career is over, I am looking forward to working with the local community that I grew up in and helping contribute to the success of the team in another area. I couldn’t be happier about joining the club in this new chapter of my life.”
The Leigh High School (San Jose) graduate spent the first three and a half years of his career with the Chicago Fire, starting over 20 games in his first three seasons. He was traded to the Earthquakes on June 13, 2005 and helped the Quakes post a 15-1-4 record during his 20 games with the team that season. He scored a goal in his debut with San Jose on June 18 and notched two assists with San Jose that season. In 2006, he appeared in 18 matches and helped Houston capture the 2006 MLS Cup Championship. After beginning the 2007 season with Houston, he was acquired by the Los Angeles Galaxy and he appeared in six games.
After playing in two matches with the Colorado Rapids in 2008, Gray, returned to his hometown team in a midseason trade. He appeared in 13 matches that season and played in eight in 2009. He played 41 total games for San Jose over three seasons.
Before coming to MLS, Gray had a standout career at the University of Portland, where he spent three seasons before entering the MLS draft in 2002. He was named an NSCAA All-American as a senior.
At the international level, he played for both the United States U-23 and U-20 teams. He made 51 appearances for the U-20 team and scored 12 goals, including three appearances at the 2001 FIFA World Youth Championships.
Gray grew up in San Jose and played club soccer for the Los Gatos Metro. He had an outstanding career at Leigh High School, leading the school to a league championship in 1999.
