Tweeted from Gray.....

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ruppertflywheel

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@goldengopherqb5 " It is really official now, got that piece of paper ( picture of his diploma) that only a few have" Congrats to a great kid . I won't, but I'm tempted to send it over to Beckyville to all the rednecks ( one specifically, and you know who you are) who chastised your intelligence, character, and even your family to
a sickening degree. Heal up #5 and have a great final 5 games, and hopefully post season play.
 

I hold Marquis Gray in very high regards. The road he has travelled with the gophers has been a rocky one. First he took the chance on the Gophers with a brand new coach. Then he prepped hard for the ACT and his resulting good score was too good for the NCAA clearinghouse to accept which means he had to defer his entry for a year to retake (and again get a good score) on the ACT. Then he had to accept the fact that Adam Weber would be the starting qb and he would have to find some other way to contribute. Then he went through how many? (4?) offensive coordinators, 2 head coaches and an interim head coach. He has dealt with the types of injuries that may seem minor but take forever to heal (turf toe and ankle sprains) and now he has 5 games left to prove to that he should be lining up somewhere (WR I presume) on Sundays. He's heard a lot of boos and negative criticisms from the "fans" :rolleyes: over the years.

But the most incredible part of his rocky road to me is that he has always stayed positive and always looked for a way to help his team out. Can we say the same?

Congratulations Q on earning your degree! I'm proud to call you a fellow alumnus.

Rah!
 

Go Gophers Rah said:
I hold Marquis Gray in very high regards. The road he has travelled with the gophers has been a rocky one. First he took the chance on the Gophers with a brand new coach. Then he prepped hard for the ACT and his resulting good score was too good for the NCAA clearinghouse to accept which means he had to defer his entry for a year to retake (and again get a good score) on the ACT. Then he had to accept the fact that Adam Weber would be the starting qb and he would have to find some other way to contribute. Then he went through how many? (4?) offensive coordinators, 2 head coaches and an interim head coach. He has dealt with the types of injuries that may seem minor but take forever to heal (turf toe and ankle sprains) and now he has 5 games left to prove to that he should be lining up somewhere (WR I presume) on Sundays. He's heard a lot of boos and negative criticisms from the "fans" :rolleyes: over the years.

But the most incredible part of his rocky road to me is that he has always stayed positive and always looked for a way to help his team out. Can we say the same?

Congratulations Q on earning your degree! I'm proud to call you a fellow alumnus.

Rah!
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+1,000

Well said.
 

Go Gophers Rah said:
I hold Marquis Gray in very high regards. The road he has travelled with the gophers has been a rocky one. First he took the chance on the Gophers with a brand new coach. Then he prepped hard for the ACT and his resulting good score was too good for the NCAA clearinghouse to accept which means he had to defer his entry for a year to retake (and again get a good score) on the ACT. Then he had to accept the fact that Adam Weber would be the starting qb and he would have to find some other way to contribute. Then he went through how many? (4?) offensive coordinators, 2 head coaches and an interim head coach. He has dealt with the types of injuries that may seem minor but take forever to heal (turf toe and ankle sprains) and now he has 5 games left to prove to that he should be lining up somewhere (WR I presume) on Sundays. He's heard a lot of boos and negative criticisms from the "fans" :rolleyes: over the years.

But the most incredible part of his rocky road to me is that he has always stayed positive and always looked for a way to help his team out. Can we say the same?

Congratulations Q on earning your degree! I'm proud to call you a fellow alumnus.

Rah!
Click to expand...

Yep, nice job to you and great job to Mr.Gray. Any D-1 Athlete who gets his degree during his playing years deserves praise. What Gray went through rates high praise indeed. It certainly makes the NCAA's decision, in hindsight at the least, look highly short-sighted.
 



Congrats to good guy. I met him last summer at open practice, my son wears a #5 jersey and got his picture with Mr. Gray when another bystander called him over after seeing my boy wearing his jersey. It is the lone picture in his school locker, and I feel really good with his choice in emulating Marqueis. My impression that day is that he carries himself with a stature that is more mature than his years, and a charisma that wasn't cocky. I see good things in his future inside and outside of football.

Too bad he won't close his career as the QB, but as my wise son said, he is so good that he can play a lot of positions. Someone is going to give him a shot, the only question remaining is at what position, QB, TE, WR, LB, S- his size and athleticism creates so many options. His immediate impact as a sophomore at WR was so impressive, maybe not appreciated coming off the Decker years and McKnight's performance. If he can get healthy, he will be our playmaker.
 

Well done Mr. Gray, proud to have you among our ranks as a fellow alumus as well. I hope your football career at the U can end with you getting 100% healthy, and productive on the field, wherever you line up!
 

Awesome, awesome accomplishment!!!

Very very few people understand the time commitment and challenges involved with playing college athletics. It's absolutely mind-boggling, especially at the highest level. People that can play for 4-5 years and finish a degree at the same time should be recognized. It's an amazing accomplishment that too many take for granted.

Congratulations, Mr. Gray. This is something that can never be taken away from you and that you'll always have with you.
 

Go Gophers Rah said:
I hold Marquis Gray in very high regards. The road he has travelled with the gophers has been a rocky one. First he took the chance on the Gophers with a brand new coach. Then he prepped hard for the ACT and his resulting good score was too good for the NCAA clearinghouse to accept which means he had to defer his entry for a year to retake (and again get a good score) on the ACT. Then he had to accept the fact that Adam Weber would be the starting qb and he would have to find some other way to contribute. Then he went through how many? (4?) offensive coordinators, 2 head coaches and an interim head coach. He has dealt with the types of injuries that may seem minor but take forever to heal (turf toe and ankle sprains) and now he has 5 games left to prove to that he should be lining up somewhere (WR I presume) on Sundays. He's heard a lot of boos and negative criticisms from the "fans" :rolleyes: over the years.

But the most incredible part of his rocky road to me is that he has always stayed positive and always looked for a way to help his team out. Can we say the same?

Congratulations Q on earning your degree! I'm proud to call you a fellow alumnus.

Rah!
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That was really well said. And like I mentioned in the pregame thread, I can only hope we get to that bowl game and he's able to end his career with a big game in that bowl game.
 



I'm pretty sure we will see Gray at the QB position again. Odds are good that Nelson will get banged-up at some point. That is when Q will come in and remind us of what a good runner he was/is.

Congrats on the degree!
 

Quick reminder:

Gray has been the best football player on campus for 5 years.

One crazy philosophy maintains that person should touch the ball a lot.

Crazy, I know!
 

Gray is a class act and seems like a great sportsman. His on field demeanor always seems very level headed, businesslike and humble. He got his degree, did what was asked of him by multiple "bosses" and didn't seem to complain. These are all qualities that I think NFL teams will value very highly. Hopefully at WR he will be able to stay healthy in the league.
 

Studwell55 said:
Quick reminder:

Gray has been the best football player on campus for 5 years.

One crazy philosophy maintains that person should touch the ball a lot.

Crazy, I know!
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Gray is not, was not, and will never be a better football player than Eric Decker. Sorry. And this is coming from one of the most ardent Gray defenders in existence. Also, he has only been on campus for 4 years.
 



tikited said:
I'm pretty sure we will see Gray at the QB position again. Odds are good that Nelson will get banged-up at some point. That is when Q will come in and remind us of what a good runner he was/is.

Congrats on the degree!
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Yes indeed. Kill mentioned that once but not sure if he mentioned it again. Why help the opposition prepare. Let 'em just worry about it
 

Studwell55 said:
Quick reminder:

Gray has been the best football player on campus for 5 years.

One crazy philosophy maintains that person should touch the ball a lot.

Crazy, I know!
Click to expand...

Put the crack pipe down. Care to elaborate about what position Gray played that exceeded the play of 4 years worth of players?
 

It has been pretty hard for any player to really excel the last 5 years due to the revolving door of coaches and systems that have come and gone. That is one of the reasons the continuity of Coach Kill's staff and system is appealing.

Personally I think Gray will be best focusing on WR as much as possible, even if he does not rate as high as Decker. Someone will give him a shot. He has the advantage of being able to play a variety of positions, though I think it best for a player to find his best position and commit to it.
 

Ogee Oglethorpe said:
Awesome, awesome accomplishment!!!

Very very few people understand the time commitment and challenges involved with playing college athletics. It's absolutely mind-boggling, especially at the highest level. People that can play for 4-5 years and finish a degree at the same time should be recognized. It's an amazing accomplishment that too many take for granted.

Congratulations, Mr. Gray. This is something that can never be taken away from you and that you'll always have with you.
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Not only this, but he also became a full time dad during his time at MN. Completing a degree while training and being a father is a heck of an accomplishment. I'm extremely proud of the young man and happy to have him as an Alumni of the U.
 

gopher_alum_2005 said:
Not only this, but he also became a full time dad during his time at MN. Completing a degree while training and being a father is a heck of an accomplishment. I'm extremely proud of the young man and happy to have him as an Alumni of the U.
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Agreed. As someone who gave up college football because I couldn't play football, attend school AND support/raise a kid my, hat is off to him big time.
 


I've enjoyed watching him, and wish we could have seen him out there more! He seems like he has a really good head on his shoulders.

You guys will all get a laugh out of this, but my hopes for him were really high coming into this season, and I thought he would be the best QB in the conference.
 

Congratulations to Marquise! That peice of paper may mean more in the long run than anything on the football field. In any event, it is a solid accomplishment, as all those who have dropped out of college (legion) would attest. I also wish that M could start at QB!
 

Great player and great story. Congratulations to him!
 

Congrats, Q! Get healthy, soon! We really need you on the field at 100%,
 

Football or no football, I have a feeling this guy will be very successful in life. Congrats Q!
 

I thought Q enrolled in Minnesota spring semester after the fall semester he was supposed to enroll in. If I am wrong could somebody please correct me?
 

Iceland12 said:
It certainly makes the NCAA's decision, in hindsight at the least, look highly short-sighted.
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Understand your point, but I also understand the NCAA's stance. You rarely see more than a 2-3 point jump when someone retakes the ACT. If I remember right Q's went up like 8-10 points. It all made logical sense (he blew off the first time he took it, didn't study, and all that) but on the same sense, the NCAA has to be cautious so that other people aren't taking the test for someone. The part that really bothered me was the timing - they declared him ineligible at a time when there was no chance for him to retake the test. It's too bad they couldn't have given him a "tentative" eligibility or something that was dependent on him retaking the test in X days with a score above Y.

That being said, Q stood up, took the test again, and has been nothing short of inspiring in my opinion. I will always respect him and I wish him nothing but the best for the rest of his U of M career and any career he has after this (hopefully in the NFL).
 

Congrats to Marquise. This is the epitome of what college sports is about, a young man taking advantage of his athletic gifts to give himself a college education and a better chance at success, regardless of where athletics may lead from a professional perspective. Great work, Marquise, and good luck the rest of the year.
 

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