Derrick Gaffney, former Florida Gators, NY Jets, Raines High wide receiver, dies at age 69

Derrick Gaffney, who rose to prominence in a celebrated Jacksonville athletic family during a golden age at Raines High School on his way to football success at the University of Florida and the NFL's New York Jets, died Wednesday at age 69.

His nephew, City Council member Reggie Gaffney Jr., described him as a "beloved father, mentor and pillar of strength for our family," announcing the news in a press release to the Times-Union and other media outlets.

"The Gaffney name has long been associated with perseverance, excellence, and service — whether on the field or in politics. Coming from a prominent Jacksonville family of five boys, my uncle Derrick embodied these values, just as my father and uncles did in public service," Reggie Gaffney Jr. said in his statement.

Derrick Gaffney was part of a multi-generation family of athletic success coming out of Raines: His brother, Don Gaffney, went on to start at quarterback for the Gators; two other brothers, Johnny and Warren, also played football at UF; and his son, Jabar Gaffney, won the first-ever Florida High School Athletic Association football championship for a Duval County public school while at Raines in 1997, lined up at receiver for the Steve Spurrier-era Gators and proceeded to a decade-long NFL career.

In a 1999 feature for the Times-Union's series of Jacksonville's greatest 100 athletes of the 20th century series, Don Gaffney said the foundation for the brothers' football future began at home.

''I was always throwing passes to Derrick," Don Gaffney said. ''I would pretend to be Johnny Unitas and Derrick was Raymond Berry [Baltimore Colts teammates in the 1960s]. Then I switched to becoming Fran Tarkenton when he got to the Minnesota Vikings."

At Raines under Jimmie Johnson, Derrick Gaffney earned first-team All-City honors as a wide receiver in 1972, where he was part of a Vikings team that went undefeated on the field in consecutive regular seasons.

He played college football with the Gators under Doug Dickey, part of an offense with a strong Raines flavor, with fellow Vikings Don Gaffney and Terry LeCount also key members of the UF lineup at the time. He still holds a place in Florida's all-time record book with a 99-yard touchdown reception from Cris Collinsworth in 1977 against Rice.

Derrick Gaffney (right) is pictured with son Jabar Gaffney and Lisa Drouillard, Miss Haiti 2015, in a beauty pageant they were judging in Nashville.

Selected in the eighth round of the 1978 NFL Draft by the Jets, he played with the AFC East franchise from 1978 to 1984 as well as a two-game stint during the 1987 strike.

Gaffney competed in 100 NFL games in all with New York, starting 69, catching 156 passes for 2,613 yards and seven touchdowns before knee injuries slowed him down. His most productive year was 1978, when he made 38 receptions for 691 yards and three scores. He also helped the Jets to the AFC Championship Game in the 1982 season, in which New York lost to the Miami Dolphins.

Following his NFL days, he spent years in the business world with American Express but also helped shape the playing career of his son, Jabar, coaching him in Pop Warner ball with the Northwestern 49ers.

"He always pushed me growing up during those workouts at Scott Park," Jabar Gaffney said in a 2024 Times-Union feature as part of the Jax Greatest 100 series, in which Derrick and Jabar Gaffney were the only father-son pair. "He taught me how to run routes and process the game. He wanted me to be better than him. I was going to be him, 2.0."

A viewing is scheduled from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday, March 28, at Emanuel Missionary Baptist Church, 2407 S.L. Badger Jr. Circle, on Jacksonville's Northside. Funeral services take place at the same location at 11 a.m. Saturday, March 29.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Derrick Gaffney: Former Raines High, Gators, Jets football star dies

1d 5:17 PM ET ago

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