Alan Autry
A former NFL quarterback who traded the gridiron for Hollywood and city hall, becoming the beloved mayor of Fresno, California.
Born 1952 (age 74)·American football player, politician and actor·Birthday: July 31·Baby Boomers
Biography
Alan Autry’s life reads like a series of distinct, successful acts. First, he was Carlos Brown, a strong-armed quarterback drafted by the Green Bay Packers out of the University of Pacific. His NFL career was brief, cut short by injury, but it opened a door to a second act in Hollywood. Under his given name, he found steady work as a character actor, most memorably as the earnest, hulking Captain Bubba Skinner on the hit series 'In the Heat of the Night.' That role, portraying a small-town Southern lawman, proved prophetic. Tapping into a deep sense of civic duty, Autry left acting and entered politics in Fresno, California. He served two terms as mayor from 2001 to 2009, focusing on economic development and public safety with the same determined focus he once applied to playbooks and scripts. His journey from professional athlete to television fixture to municipal leader is a uniquely American story of reinvention, driven by a consistent thread of service and community.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Alan was born in 1952, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Alan Was Born
The biggest hits of 1952
#1 Movie
The Greatest Show on Earth
Best Picture
The Greatest Show on Earth
#1 TV Show
I Love Lucy
Alan's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1952Born
Queen Elizabeth II ascends the throne
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,350Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Blue Tango" — Leroy AndersonBest Picture: The Greatest Show on Earth
1957Started school
Sputnik launches the Space Age
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $10,550Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"All Shook Up" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: The Bridge on the River Kwai
1965Became a teenager
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1968Could drive
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1970Could vote
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1973Turned 21
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1982Turned 30
Michael Jackson releases Thriller
Gas: $1.22/galHome: $55,200Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Physical" — Olivia Newton-JohnBest Picture: Gandhi
1992Turned 40
LA riots after Rodney King verdict
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $84,300Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"End of the Road" — Boyz II MenBest Picture: Unforgiven
2002Turned 50
Euro currency enters circulation
Gas: $1.36/galHome: $137,800Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"How You Remind Me" — NickelbackBest Picture: Chicago
2012Turned 60
Curiosity rover lands on Mars; Sandy Hook shooting
Gas: $3.64/galHome: $143,200Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Somebody That I Used to Know" — GotyeBest Picture: Argo
2022Turned 70
Russia invades Ukraine; Queen Elizabeth II dies
Gas: $3.97/galHome: $348,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"As It Was" — Harry StylesBest Picture: Everything Everywhere All at Once
2026Age 74 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Served two terms as the Mayor of Fresno, California, from 2001 to 2009.
- Played the recurring role of Captain Bubba Skinner on the popular TV series 'In the Heat of the Night' for several seasons.
- Was drafted in the 11th round of the 1975 NFL Draft by the Green Bay Packers and played quarterback for two seasons.
Did You Know?
He played under the name Carlos Brown during his football career, which was his mother's maiden name.
He is an ordained Baptist minister.
He starred in the cult film 'The Bikini Carwash Company II'.
As mayor, he was known for his 'Fresno First' policy focusing on local business development.
“From the huddle to the set, discipline is about serving the story.”
