Who

Grant Teaff, 77, coached the Baylor University football team from 1972-92, and led the Bears to Southwest Conference titles in 1974 and 1980. He now serves as executive director of the American Football Coaches Association, whose headquarters sit adjacent to the Texas Sports Hall of Fame.

His background

Legendary former Baylor head football coach Grant Teaff holds one of his special Bibles, a 1983 “Year of the Bible” commemorative edition.
Duane A. Laverty / Waco Tribune-Herald

Teaff was born in Hermleigh in West Texas, became a Christian at age 12 and committed himself to becoming a coach at age 14.

His mother, Inez, and his late father, Bill, instilled in him a value system based on faith in Jesus Christ. He said those lessons have served him well in coaching, as a national speaker for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and as a leader of an organization that represents coaches across the country.

His collection of Bibles

On April 12, 1980, Teaff was speaking at a Fellowship of Christian Athletes fundraiser in Chicago. He was presented a Bible that included the entire New Testament and the Old Testament books of Psalms and Proverbs. He said he has nearly worn out the Bible during the years, using it for personal study and for messages he has delivered to more than 200 churches. Though he is not an ordained minister, Teaff often speaks at weddings and funerals.

Teaff has used colored markers to indicate favorite passages in the Bible, a King James Version. One notation stands out. It says: “Eli Pittman read this page on 07/27/02.”

Eli is one of Teaff’s grandchildren, and as he sat on Teaff’s lap during a sermon at Waco’s First Baptist Church, he suddenly clutched the book his grandfather was holding.

Of course, at about 6 months old, the child did not read the page, but Teaff wanted to mark the occasion. That page includes 1 Peter 3:17, which says, “For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.”

Teaff received a special Bible as a gift on March 14, 1985, when he spoke at the First Baptist Church of Del City, Okla.

That Bible is significant, he said, because it was printed in conjunction with President Ronald Reagan’s proclamation of 1983 as the Year of the Bible.

Favorite Bible verses

Teaff shows where his grandson, Eli Pittman, grabbed his Bible during services at Waco’s First Baptist Church in 2002. The child was sitting in Teaff’s lap at the time.
Duane A. Laverty / Waco Tribune-Herald

Romans 8:28 — “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

Romans 12:1-2 — “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God — this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what’s God’s will is — his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

His philosophy

“I’m not a ‘church’ guy who walks around under a halo. I’m a hard-nosed football coach and I think anybody who played for me would tell you that. My purpose was never to be the national coach of the year or to win the national championship, but to do my best to reflect the image of Christ.”

Indeed, Teaff was named national coach of the year in 1974, when Baylor won the Southwest Conference for the first time in 50 years. He was named coach of the year in the conference six times.