RIP Ray Graves

A great person and a kind man. I met Coach Graves in 1963 at Phillips Field in Tampa for the state championship game between undefeated powerhouse Tampa Robinson (also a rather new school in south Tampa) vs Coral Gables. He was walking to midfield to recruit some players nand boy were there some great ones there...I was 15 yrs old and I said to him that I was a big fan of the Gators...he stopped and shook my hand and we chatted briefly about the Bama game we had won earlier in the year. A real humble and well liked coach who had his players respects.
Players btw at the game were three future Gators from Robinson linemen George Dean, Jim Hadley and a rb AA Larry Smith...we also signed the slippery qb from Coral Gables Larry Rentz, who played safety, qb and wr for us.
Coach Graves was named AD after 1969....that was common procedure in those days...the HC would retire and be the AD.

Some cool stuff I thought y'all might like seeing. Ray Graves was a Knoxville boy and a General Neyland man through and through (He gave Neyland credit for his success as a coach and a did fantastic job building the gator program).

Here he is as UT's 1941 Captain:



And his old jersey from UT (may look a bit darker from the lighting):


Coach Graves was a great player, an even better man, and an amazing coach for you. Straight off the Neyland tree.

Wow thanks for the stories reel. Given Neyland's emphasis on the kicking game it doesn't surprise me he had Spurrier punt -- shocking at first but makes sense knowing Neyland. Even so, that's a whole 'nother level from what I understand. Major balls on Graves' part.

I had no clue about Pepper Rogers and his influence. Just imagine the game had we stayed the way we were. I think football might've gone the way of baseball (fun to watch in person but kinda boring on tv, imo).

What a ballsy and great coach Graves was.