Derrick Tyrone Gaffney (May 24, 1955 – March 17, 2025) was an American professional football player who was a wide receiver for eight seasons with the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL) during the 1970s and 1980s. Gaffney played college football for the Florida Gators.
Background
Gaffney was born in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1955. He attended William M. Raines High School in Jacksonville, and he played high school football for the Raines Vikings
Gaffney died on March 17, 2025, at the age of 69.
College career
Gaffney accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where he played for coach Doug Dickey's Gators teams from 1974 to 1977. Memorably, Gaffney caught a ninety-nine-yard touchdown reception from Cris Collinsworth in the Gators' season-opening 48–3 victory over the Rice Owls in 1977, which tied the then-current NCAA record and remains the longest touchdown pass in Southeastern Conference (SEC) history. While he was a Florida undergraduate, Gaffney was also a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity.
Professional career
The New York Jets chose Gaffney in the eighth round (197th pick overall) in the 1978 NFL draft, and he played for the Jets from to and again in . His single best season was his rookie year in 1978, when he caught thirty-eight passes for 691 yards.
Gaffney is the father of former NFL wide receiver Jabar Gaffney and the uncle of former NFL cornerback Lito Sheppard. Both Jabar Gaffney and Lito Sheppard played for the Florida Gators in the early 2000s.
See also
- Florida Gators football, 1970–79
- List of Alpha Phi Alpha brothers
- List of Florida Gators in the NFL draft
- List of New York Jets players