Gary McLinton Downs, Jr. (born June 6, 1972) is currently the recruiting coordinator and running backs coach at East Tennessee State University.^[1] Gary is a former American football running back in the National Football League (NFL) for the New York Giants, the Denver Broncos, and the Atlanta Falcons. He was also an assistant coach for NFL Europa's Amsterdam Admirals.^[1]

Downs played college football at North Carolina State University and was selected in the third round of the 1994 NFL Draft by the Giants.^[2] He played in 69 games over six NFL seasons from 1994 to 2000. He rushed for 149 yards and caught nine passes for 66 yards.^[1] Gary Downs’ spouse is Tanya Shorter Downs from Cary N.C. They have three children, Kameron, Josh, and Caleb Downs. Kameron played women's soccer for Kennesaw State University, Josh was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in the third round, 79th overall, of the 2023 NFL Draft, and was a wide receiver for North Carolina, and Caleb was a 5-star recruit who played his freshman season as safety at the University of Alabama.