GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) -Jacksonville quarterback Quinn Gray played in the Jaguars' 21-13 loss to the Green Bay Packers Thursday night despite the death of his father, a renowned high school football coach in South Florida.

Otis Gray, who coached for 13 seasons at Dillard High School in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., died Thursday from complications due to colon cancer. He was 62.

``This is a sad day for me and my family,'' Gray said in a statement issued by the team before the game. ``I'll play tonight with a heavy heart, but I want to play because that is what my dad would want me to do. I want to play for my dad and my family. Tell my family I love them and I'll be home soon.''

Gray was 3-for-5 for 44 yards against Green Bay.

``Obviously, I told him, 'Listen, we can get you home right away.' We knew that he was ill, and we had talked about after the game him going down there and missing the next couple of days,'' Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio said. ``Unfortunately, his father passed and so he'll go be with his family now, and we'll support him the best we can.''

In 13 years at Dillard, Otis Gray had a 107-54 record and produced several college and NFL players. Dillard made the playoffs from 1983-90, winning state championships in '86 and '89.

St. Louis Rams receiver Isaac Bruce, who played on the 1989 state championship team, said Gray was a father figure to him and other players.

``He made you respect authority like you should as a youngster,'' Bruce told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. ``He was in the process of making young boys mature into men and he did the same for the young ladies. Everyone respected him.''

Gray retired in 1991, but returned to the school to coach for one season in 2006.

Besides, his son Quinn, Gray is survived by his wife Pauline and four daughters.Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.