Bath Rugby can today announce the signing of former Atlanta Falcons’ Tight-End Alex Gray, who has spent the last three years within their practice squad, before deciding to return to Rugby Union.
The athletic 29-year-old joins up with the Blue, Black and White ahead of the 2020/21 season having already developed relationships with existing players and staff at the Club.
The wing has been brought in to add depth to an already talented group of players positioned on the wide channels at the Club and is expected to be an option at centre. Gray, standing at 6’ 6 and weighing in at 113kg, will bring an exciting point of difference and has been carefully selected through a rigorous recruitment process.
Director of Rugby Stuart Hooper commented on the signing of winger Alex Gray and said:
“Alex is a confident and very talented rugby player who brings in a lot of experience to the group. He is an adventurous individual that has done a lot of great things in this sport as well as striving to earn a career in the NFL in his most recent professional outing.
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“We have been keeping tabs on Alex for a long time now and when the opportunity arose to sign him, we couldn’t pass on that. He will join up with a talented group of players with calibre for their attacking style of play.
“I am confident that he will fit seamlessly into the group here at Bath Rugby and we look forward to seeing how he develops his game.”
THE LIST: The rugby stars who made the switch to American football
1. Hayden Smith
Hayden Smith left the school on the outskirts of Sydney in 2002 to take up a university place in the United States on a basketball scholarship.
But, with time to kill between the end of his studies and graduation, he started playing rugby union at a local club in Denver.
Just three years later, he was part of the Saracens side that won the Premiership title, before starting all four of the United States' matches at the 2011 Rugby World Cup.
The latest leg of his sporting journey has taken the 27-year-old to the New York Jets in the National Football League - less than a year after donning pads and a helmet for the first time.
2. Gavin Hastings
He was Scotland’s granite-hard talisman for a decade, not only as the last line of defence but as a place kicker of unerring accuracy who often proved the difference between sides.
In 1996, Hasting joined the Scottish Claymores an American Football team in the NFL Europe. He played a single season as a placekickerscoring 24 of 27 conversions but missed his only attempt at a field goal.
3. David Dixon
David Tukatahi Dixon (born January 5, 1969) is a former American football guard who played eleven professional seasons in the National Football League and was the second Maori to play in professional football after Riki Ellison. He had played for New Zealand U19 before moving to America.
4. Jarryd Hayne
Hayne attracted significant attention when he made the switch from one of the NRL's top players to a rookie in the 2015 NFL season with the San Francisco 49ers. Before returning to the NRL, Hayne also represented Fiji in rugby union sevens.
5. Christian Wade
Wade, who quit Wasps and rugby in October 2018, has been spending time in Florida at the IMG Sports Academy to learn more about the sport, with the ultimate goal of making it as an NFL player.
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