Peter Gent George Davis Peter Gent ( August 23 , 1942 – September 30 , 2011 ) was a Michigan State University basketball player and National Football League wide receiver turned novel ist . Early days . At Bangor High School ( Michigan ) , Gent was a standout four - sport athlete ( football , basketball , baseball and track ) . In basketball he lead the Bangor Vikings team to the 1960 state Class C Championship , while accumulating a 22 . 6 scoring average . The team was known as the Cardiac Kids for their late - game wins in District , Regional , Quarter - Final and Semi - Final games . The final game against top - ranked Grand Rapids Lee was no exception , it was tied 41 – 41 after three quarters and Bangor went on to win it 57 – 45 . Gent led the team with 21 points , and was named to the All - Tourney Team which was chosen from schools of all sizes throughout the state . The Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan , in association with the Detroit Free Press , has sponsored since the spring of 1981 , the Hal Schram Mr . Basketball award , given to the state ’ s top prep senior . Gent was awarded the “ Retro " Mr . Basketball award , given to state players previous to 1981 , that would have been named Mr . Basketball if there was such an award at the time . College career . Gent was a center / forward with the Michigan State University basketball team from 1962 to 1964 . He became the first player in school history to lead the basketball team in scoring three consecutive seasons . In his senior year , he averaged 21 points per game . He left school ranked as MSU ' s second career scorer , with a total of 1 , 146 points . He averaged 17 . 4 points per game for his college career , he was third team All - Big Ten in 1963 and second team All - Big Ten in 1964 . In 1964 he was awarded the Big Ten Conference Medal of Honor , which is given annually to a male and female athlete at each of the Big Ten institutions , who demonstrates the greatest proficiency in scholarship and athletics . Gent graduated from Michigan State University with a BA in advertising . Gent was the recipient of the 2005 Distinguished Alumnus Award . Professional career . Dallas Cowboys . Although he never played a down of college football , Gil Brandt was impressed by his athleticism and offered him a try out with the Dallas Cowboys . On a lark , Gent went to the Cowboys training camp in the summer of 1964 , after hearing they were paying $ 500 to players who attended . As with Cornell Green whom the Cowboys had converted two years earlier , he was first tried at defensive back , but at 6 – 4 and about 210 pounds , he wasn ’ t compact enough to execute the quick turns and pivots required to play in the secondary . The coaches decided that Gent ’ s best chance was at wide receiver , where he wound up making the team and turning down a contract offer with the Baltimore Bullets , who had drafted him in the 14th round of the 1964 NBA Draft . He became a valuable wide receiver by his second year in 1965 , while splitting time with Buddy Dial and playing opposite to Bob Hayes . In 1965 , Gent caught 16 passes for 233 yards and two touchdown s . In 1966 , he had 27 receptions for 474 yards ( averaging 17 . 6 yard per catch ) and one touchdown . In 1967 with the arrival of Lance Rentzel and his declining health problems , he was moved to tight end . Gent ' s career was marred by injury , having had 2 knee operations and constant back problems . He was known for his intelligence , soft hands and size . He caught passes mostly from quarterback Don Meredith , with whom he enjoyed a close friendship off the field . New York Giants . In 1969 he was traded to the New York Giants , but he was cut before the regular season started , ending his NFL career . Post - Football life . After leaving professional football , Gent wrote a semi - autobiographical novel titled " North Dallas Forty " , for which he will be remembered the most . Many have hypothesized that the main characters of the book , a quarterback and a wide receiver , are based on Gent and Don Meredith . The novel , published in 1973 , exposed the seamier side of American football . It examines the NFL ' s hypocrisy regarding drug use — as heavy use of painkillers is recklessly encouraged to keep players on the field but personal use of marijuana and narcotics is frowned on . The book was made into a movie of the same name in 1979 starring Nick Nolte , Mac Davis , G . D . Spradlin , and Dayle Haddon . Gent wrote the screenplay for the film . He experienced creative difficulties with producer Frank Yablans on the set of the film . Gent made his home in Texas for many years , where he was friends with many of the significant creative minds of the day , including Larry L . King , Billy Lee Brammer , Gary Cartwright , Bud Shrake , Jerry Jeff Walker , and Dan Jenkins . They called themselves the Mad Dogs . Gent also examined the corruption deriving from the huge sums of money involved in modern professional sports in a sequel volume entitled " North Dallas After 40 " , published in 1989 , and in an unrelated football novel " The Franchise " , published in 1983 . Personal life . Gent had two children , Holly Gent Palmo ( born 1963 ) and Carter Davis Gent ( born 1976 ) . He resided in Bangor , Michigan at the time of his death from a pulmonary disease on September 30 , 2011 , and was working on a novel .