Grant Teaff became a Christian at the age of 12, but has credited a near-death experience on a DC-3 aircraft during his young coaching career as the catalyst for a full commitment to his faith. Soon thereafter, he became a staunch supporter of FCA as a speaker, active fundraiser, camp clinician, and two-term chairman on the National Board of Trustees.

Teaff’s athletic career began at Snyder (TX) High School where he was the captain of the football team. He played collegiately at San Angelo Junior College (now Angelo State University) and McMurry College (now McMurry University). After four years as a high school and college assistant, Teaff was named head football coach at McMurry in 1960 where he stayed five years before taking an assistant coaching job at Texas Tech. In 1968, he co-founded the campus’ first FCA Huddle.

In 1972, following a three-year stint as the head coach at Angelo State, Teaff took over the struggling football program at Baylor University. In 21 seasons, he won two Southwest Conference (SWC) titles (1974 and 1980) and led the Bears to eight bowl games and a school record 128 wins. Teaff was named SWC Coach of the Year six times and in 1974 was named AFCA Coach of the Year and Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year.

Teaff served as the Baylor athletic director from 1992 to 1993 before being named executive director of the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) in February 1994. During his 22-year stint at the helm, Teaff served on more than 20 key NCAA committees and established popular events such as the Power of Influence golf tournaments and the CEO Coach of the Year® dinner in New York City.

In 2001, Teaff was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. In 2002, the Sporting News ranked him as one of the most powerful college athletic administrators, and in 2004, Street & Smith’s Sports Business Journal named him one of the most influential people in college sports. In 2006, the AFCA presented Teaff, a member of the Texas Sports Hall of Fame, with the prestigious Amos Alonzo Staff Award.

The author of six books, Teaff has been involved in many charitable causes including Muscular Dystrophy, Multiple Sclerosis Society, Red Cross, Friends for Life, and Camp Success, a program for children with reading disabilities. The Grant Teaff Coach of the Year Award and Grant Teaff Lifetime Achievement Award are each presented annually by FCA to deserving football coaches at the high school and collegiate levels.