Alan Autry

He now hosts a midday show on KXEX 1550 AM in Fresno.

Autry was born in Shreveport, Louisiana, the son of Carl and Verna (née Brown) Autry.

His name was changed to Carlos Brown when he was a year old, after his parents divorced.

He worked alongside his mother and stepfather, Joe Duty, in California's San Joaquin Valley, where they planted and harvested cotton, grapes, and other crops, traveling around the valley living in migrant worker camps.

When he was twelve, they settled in Riverdale, California.

In high school, Autry was a star quarterback for the Riverdale Cowboys.

He received an athletic scholarship to the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California, where he was a second-string tight end in his senior year for the Tigers.

(Gene and Alan were distant cousins, descended from William A. Autry (5 August 1784 – 2 April 1836) and Mary Campbell of North Carolina/Tennessee.)

Franks and Autry both performed on "Jingle Bells" and "Christmas Time's A Comin'".

Carlos Alan Autry Jr. (also known for a time as Carlos Brown; born July 31, 1952), is an American actor, politician, and former National Football League (NFL) player.

During his brief football career, he was known as Carlos Brown.

Autry played the role of Captain Bubba Skinner on the NBC, and later CBS, television drama series In the Heat of the Night, starring Carroll O'Connor.

He has also appeared in films and other television shows.

In 1975, he was drafted by the Green Bay Packers, where he ended up in 1976, as the starting quarterback for three games.

His football career ended quickly when he was cut from the team by then-coach Bart Starr.

Autry then went to Hollywood to become an actor.

Autry made his film debut in the 1978 motion picture Remember My Name.

He made a football comeback attempt, playing for the B.C. Lions of the CFL in 1979 (as Carlos Brown).

He was the third-string quarterback behind Joe Paopao and another ex-Green Bay Packer, Jerry Tagge.

He met his father, Carl Autry Sr., for the first time in 1981, while on location in Shreveport for the motion picture Southern Comfort, after he found Carl's name in the telephone book.

Afterwards, he made the decision to return to his birth surname of Autry.

By 1986, he was divorced and became a born-again Christian and began to devote much of his time to working with charitable causes.

He is married to his second wife, Kimberlee Autry; the couple has three children.

Credited as Alan Autry

Credited as Carlos Brown

In 1997, Autry launched his own production company, Dirt Road Productions.

In November 2000, he was elected mayor of Fresno, California, and served for two four-year terms through January 2009.

Autry, a Republican, was elected in 2000 to succeed Jim Patterson as the mayor of Fresno, defeating former mayor Dan Whitehurst.

In 2002, he released The Legend of Jake Kincaid, a Western based on a story he wrote.

He was also the director of this film.

Autry and his In the Heat of the Night co-star Randall Franks joined forces under the banner of Autry-Franks Productions to produce the charity In the Heat of the Night CD Christmas Time's A Comin', featuring the cast of the show.

The project raised funds for drug abuse prevention charities.

With Franks producing, Autry performed his rendition of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" in homage to Gene Autry.

He was elected to a second term (2005-2009) on March 2, 2004, with more than 72 percent of the vote.

Because of term limits, he was ineligible to run for re-election.

During his acting years, he struggled with drug and alcohol use, according to an interview with Pat Robertson's The 700 Club in 2007.

After nine years in Hollywood, Autry returned home and left his career.

"I realized that God had moved in my life like never before. I really realized what God and the power of Jesus Christ was," he said on The 700 Club.

From 2008 to 2011, Autry hosted a talk radio show on KYNO AM 940 in Fresno.

In November 2008, he endorsed Ashley Swearengin, who was elected to succeed him as mayor.