 Gaylord played high school football at Shawnee Mission South in Overland Park, Kansas before embarking on a college career at the University of Missouri.He went on to be a 4th round draft pick (88th overall) of the NFL's Los Angeles Rams in 1982.After being cut by the Rams in camp later that summer, Gaylord spent part of the 1982 season with the CFL's Toronto Argonauts playing just four games before being released.