William Van de Graaff
William Travis "Bully" Van de Graaff (born October 25, 1895 in Tuscaloosa; died April 26, 1977 in Colorado Springs, Colorado) was a football player, coach, and army officer.
William was the third son of Adrian Van de Graaff and the former Minnie Hargrove, and the great-grandson of Tuscaloosa planter and politician Robert Jemison Jr.
Like his older brothers, Hargrove and Adrian Jr, William played for the football team at the University of Alabama. He excelled as a punter, kicker, and offensive tackle and was the first Southern college football player selected to an All-America team, winning recognition from Parke Davis and by Walter Camp in his senior year with the 1915 squad.
After graduating, Van de Graaff attended the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, graduating in 1918. After World War I he returned to Tuscaloosa as an assistant to Alabama coaches Xen Scott and Wallace Wade. In 1926 he was hired as head football coach and athletic director at Colorado College. His teams compiled a record of 49-47-6 during his ten-year tenure.
In 1942 Van de Graaff was recommissioned for service in World War II and retired to Colorado Springs after the war with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He died there in 1977 at the age of 81 and is buried at Fort Logan National Cemetery in Denver.
References
- "W. T. Van de Graaff" obituary (April 28, 1977) The Tuscaloosa News