David Kopay

David Kopay is a former American football running back in the National Football League who in 1975 became one of the first professional athletes to come out as gay. After he retired from the NFL, he was considered a top contender for coaching positions, but he believes he was snubbed by professional and college teams because of his sexual orientation. In 1986, Kopay revealed his brief affair with Jerry Smith (1943–1986), who played for the Washington Redskins from 1965–1977 and who died of AIDS without ever having publicly come out of the closet. [Source: Wikipedia]