B

Walt Bragg reflects on his long career coaching football and his love for the sport.

Bragg started his football career at Morristown Hamblen High School East as an offensive and defensive lineman. He even led the Hurricanes to the 1969 state title.

“I had a lot of success playing on the East team,” he said. “I became an All-State player and All-American playing for the school.”

Following the success at East, he was recruited by several schools around the country, but ultimately chose to attend West Virginia University under the leadership of Bobby Bowden.

“As I played there for him during 1970 to 1974 we had great success there,” he said. “We went to several bowl games and I was named team captain my senior year.”

However, before he could graduate he returned home to take care of his sick father. While home he enrolled in Carson-Newman University to complete his last courses.

“I finally graduated and got my degree from Carson Newman, but the highlight was that I met my wife while attending school there,” he said. “I married Vicki in 1976 and it’s been amazing to have her by my side.”

After graduating from Carson Newman, Bragg returned to East to begin coaching under Carlis Altizer.

“I coached under Altizer for several years and learned a lot from him. While at East I taught biology as my subject,” he said.

Bragg then received a job offer to coach at Texas Tech University under head coach Rex Dockery.

“Rex just so happened to be the head football coach at East my senior year when we won the state championship,” he said. “He offered me the job and me and Vicki packed up and moved to Texas.”

“We coached down there from 1978 to about 1981 and I had great experience coaching out in the southwest conference. It was an exciting time and I learned a lot.”

He returned to Tennessee in 1981 at East Tennessee State University as the offensive line coach and assistant coach.

In 1986 he began coaching at West High School under Dale Chrisman and in 1990 Bragg accepted a head coach position at his alma mater, at East.

“I stepped away from coaching in 2001 because I did everything I wanted with coaching,” he said. “I continued teaching at East until I retired in 2012”

Bragg explained that he was inspired by his past coaches to become one as well.

“Coaching is something that gets into your blood,” he said. “I was very blessed as I came up as a young man to have many different coaches and people to guide me and help me on my journey.”

“After I graduated college I was inspired and felt it was my duty to help and guide other young men just as others did for me.”

As Bragg looks back on his more than 20 year career of coaching players, his reward is the success he sees in the players he coached.

“It was rewarding to see players improve not just as an athlete but as a person and as a person who grows up to lead others,” he said.

“As I look back over my life there are several players that I can think of that have gone on to do well. Not only in football but in all aspects of life.”

“That makes me feel really good, because I have always wanted to pay back what those who paid me.”

Now that he has retired he has kept busy, spending time with his wife and with his church.

“Since retiring I have been doing a lot of fishing, spending time with my wife, traveling and being more active within my church,” he said. “I have really focused on the spiritual life and the word of God.

“I met James H. Davis, pastor of Eternal Life Harvest Center in Knoxville, 10 years ago and under his teaching I became an ordained preacher. Davis started a Bible college there and my wife and I served as deans there.”

After the passing of Davis, Bragg and his wife returned to Morristown where they attend The Avenue Church led by Justin and Melissa Graham, head pastors.