Impactful is a word synonymous with Gray Massey.
It didn’t matter if you were an administrator, coach, player, friend, or a stranger, Massey was going to find a way to impact your life — and it didn’t have to be on a soccer field.
Those who knew Massey talked Sunday about the legacy he left after they learned of the death of the Mississippi University for Women women’s soccer coach. The W Director of Athletics Jason Trufant confirmed Sunday afternoon that Massey, 41, had died. He said his wife received a phone call from Massey’s wife, Lauren, about 7 a.m. Sunday informing them of Gray’s death. It is unclear at this time when Massey passed away.
Trufant said there is no definitive answer as to what caused Massey’s death.
The Brandon native leaves behind a wife and two children.
“He was a once-in-a-lifetime person, and everybody knows that,” Trufant said. “It just takes five minutes and to look at the Facebook posts. They are in the hundreds, if not thousands.”
Trufant said he had an “instant connection” when he met Massey. That encounter led to Trufant’s decision to hire the coach away from his job as women’s soccer coach at East Central Community College to lead The W’s new women’s soccer program.
Massey was named coach of The W’s first women’s soccer team in November 2017. The W went 5-11 in its first season in 2018 and won four of its last five matches, including its last three.
Trufant said Massey understood what The W wanted from the women’s soccer program as an athletic department and as a university. He said Massey became a good friend in part because he had a knack for relating to everybody, for treating them with respect, and for making people smile.
“I don’t know if any type of person is better than that,” Trufant said.
‘Faith, family and friends’
Trufant said he felt The W “stole Massey” and had landed an excellent coach. He said Massey was unique in the business because he wasn’t just a soccer coach and he could do things and treat people in ways he has never seen.
“Gray was the person you wanted to be,” Trufant said. “You might not have been able to, but you wanted to be Gray Massey.”
Wint McGee played with and against Massey for many years when the two were youth players. They also were teammates at Hinds C.C. in Raymond. McGee, who was a forward, said Massey, a goalkeeper, “always stayed true to himself” as a player and as a coach. He said the work ethic and attitude Massey showed as a player carried over to his time as a coach.
“I have had people reach out to me, people from 20 years ago that I had forgotten about, after they heard the news,” McGee said. “It shows he made an impact on their lives.”
McGee said Massey made an impact on the lives of so many because he never met a stranger. As a coach, he said Massey talked with parents to help educate them about the sport and took time to talk to players to help them understand how they could get better.
That mentality grew out of Massey’s playing days, McGee said. Massey didn’t gripe or complain when he wasn’t a starter and he continued to encourage his teammates. McGee said Massey also kept working hard in training so he was ready for his chance. When the opportunity came, Massey was prepared.
“He was the kind of guy who would go above and beyond in his coaching duties,” McGee said. “He would encourage a kid and talk to a kid about what it would take to get them there and lift them up instead of not saying anything to them. He was always a student of the game and, more importantly, he wanted to impact people off the field and in what was really important. He will be missed. It is heartbreaking because he had so many great years coaching ahead of him.”
Trufant said he talked to Massey last week about his coach’s experience at the national soccer convention. Massey was asked to write down his top 10 priorities and not one of them was soccer.
“He had faith, family, and friends well ahead of soccer,” Trufant said. “People were lucky to have him as a soccer coach.”
Funeral arrangements are unclear at this time. Trufant said The W will hold a memorial on campus to honor the life of Massey at a later date.
“We will get it done and do it right,” Trufant said.
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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