Twenty-five years later, the name Chris Gray still means something to people around West Virginia.
Gray was a former West Virginia quarterback who played for the Mountaineers from 1988-91. He appeared in 13 games, mostly as a backup, but his time in Morgantown ended up meaning much more than football.
Gray was 32 years old when his life was cut short on September 11, 2001. Read more: Remembering Chris Gray: The Mountaineer who left a lasting impact.
He was working for Cantor Fitzgerald in the North Tower of the World Trade Center when the building was attacked.
As the 25th anniversary of 9/11 is remembered, Gray’s story is also being remembered in Morgantown, where he spent some of the most important years of his life.
A Mountaineer
Gray became part of Don Nehlen’s football program at West Virginia. While he served as a backup quarterback for most of his career, he became part of the Mountaineer family.
After football, Gray stayed connected to Morgantown. He played softball around town and developed relationships with people he met through WVU.
One of those people was Greg “Coach” Hunter, who recently spoke with Mike Nolting of WV MetroNews.
Hunter met Gray through softball and remained close with him after his playing days.
“Not because of his athletic ability, but because he was a really special person,” Hunter told WV MetroNews. “The funniest guy I’ve ever met in my life by far and just over time in Morgantown really ingrained himself.”
Gray’s legacy was built more around relationships than it was statistics.
More than football
Gray’s time at WVU gave him lifelong friendships and a connection to Morgantown that stayed with him after college.
He kept playing football, leading to an opportunity to attend a mini-camp with the Miami Dolphins as a free agent, but he was also building a life outside of the game.
Gray earned both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from West Virginia and was preparing to get married.
At 32, he still had plenty ahead of him.
Then came September 11.
The day everything changed
Gray was working for Cantor Fitzgerald on the upper floors of the North Tower.
American Airlines Flight 11 struck the building at 8:46 a.m. and Gray was inside.
Hunter had spoken with Gray the day before the attacks. According to WV MetroNews, Gray had reached out about possibly meeting at West Virginia’s upcoming game against Maryland.
Related: 25 years after 9/11: WVU Football and a day that changed us all
It ended up being their final conversation.
The next morning, Hunter was trying to figure out what had happened to his friend. Eventually, he learned Gray worked for Cantor Fitzgerald.
“The vivid memory burned into my brain as to where I was and what I did,” Hunter told MetroNews. “By the evening I had the realization of writing the story that Chris was part of a company where no one survived the attack because of where they were on the upper floors of the World Trade Center.”
Gray was one of the 658 Cantor Fitzgerald employees killed that day and one of thousands who never made it home.
A lasting legacy
It has now been 25 years.
Gray’s name is among those memorialized at the 9/11 Memorial in New York City, but his name also remains connected to West Virginia.
A scholarship was established in Gray’s memory at WVU, allowing his name to be cemented in the Mountaineer family.
For those who knew him, though, his legacy is much more personal.
It is the football memories, the softball games in Morgantown, the jokes and stories, and the phone call from September 10, 2001 that Hunter still remembers.
“It’s something that is hard for me to get over, and I’m sure there are millions of Americans like that,” Hunter told MetroNews. “There are thousands of people in Morgantown who have those memories of Chris; he was a great guy.”
That is probably the best way to remember Chris Gray.
Not just as a former WVU quarterback or one of the victims of 9/11, but as a son, a friend, a teammate, and a Mountaineer who meant something to the people around him.
Twenty-five years later, Gray is still remembered.
And in Morgantown, he is still a Mountaineer. Forever.
