Dr. Derrick Gragg
Class of 2010
From Lee High School standout to major-college athletic director, Dr. Derrick Gragg’s career arc fulfills the prophecy of his high school coach, George Bennett: “If Derrick wants to be an AD someday, he’ll be an AD someday.”
At Lee, Gragg was All-City in football as a wide receiver and defensive back, part of the top 20 football prospects in Alabama in 1988, and also lettered in basketball and track. He was named Mr. Lee High School his senior year. At Vanderbilt, he became a four-year letterman at wide receiver, earning All-SEC Academic honors and famously catching three touchdowns against Alabama in 1990.
After graduating in 1992, Gragg began his career in athletic administration as an academic counselor at Vanderbilt, later holding compliance and leadership roles at Missouri, Michigan, and Arkansas. In 2006, at 39, he became athletic director at Eastern Michigan University, then the youngest African American to hold such a post at a major NCAA institution. Over seven years, EMU teams won 24 Mid-American Conference titles, and he spearheaded a $3.9 million indoor practice facility.
In 2013, Gragg took over at the University of Tulsa, leading the school into the American Athletic Conference and overseeing championships in multiple sports. In 2021, Northwestern University named him athletic director, later transitioning him to Vice President for Athletic Strategy.
Beyond administration, Gragg is an author and mentor. His book 40 Days of Direction shares life lessons from his experiences as an African American student-athlete at Vanderbilt.
Gragg credits his parents for instilling balance and perseverance—his father never missing a game despite illness, and his mother ensuring academics matched athletics. His journey reflects leadership shaped by discipline, resilience, and vision.
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