INDIANAPOLIS — The Houston Texans made a curious addition to new coach DeMeco Ryans’ coaching staff with Nick Kray.
Kray was formerly the chief of staff for the San Francisco 49ers under coach Kyle Shanahan. Kray came to prominence as the “boombox guy” who would carry a boombox alongside 49ers players as they exited the tunnel onto the field during games.
However, inside the 49ers organization, Kray served a much more useful purpose. San Francisco general manager John Lynch had praise for Kray at the NFL combine Feb. 28.
“Kray was the chief of staff,” said Lynch. “He just got stuff done. That’s what Kray did. He came in as Kyle’s assistant and then moved on to a chief of staff role. Everyone knows him as the boombox guy.”
Lynch joked the 49ers were looking at in-house candidates for the role of “boombox guy” with Kray’s departure.
“But seriously, Nick was a really valuable member of our team,” Lynch said. “We’re happy for him and his opportunity with the Texans.”
The officially announced the addition of Kray to the coaching staff on Feb. 24.
