Western Carolina Athletics Hall of Fame
Al "Mutt" DeGraffenreid - Football (1974-76) & Coach (1980-96)
Was a three-year letter winner, a two-year starter on the football field as a defensive back. He was credited with the first-ever tackle at the new E.J. Whitmire Stadium in 1974 and received the team's Intrepid Award in 1976. Later, he served as an assistant coach and athletics administrator at WCU for 19 years coaching football and was the first women's track & field coach. Mutt went on to have a distinguished career as an education administrator and coach at both Smoky Mountain and Cherokee High Schools.
