Deke Brackett
Encyclopedia
Herbert Benjamin "Deke" Brackett (died November 14, 1970 in Huntington, West Virginia
) was a College football
player and coach.
Brackett played quarterback at Tennessee
from 1931-1933. He played in the same backfield as College Football Hall of Fame
r and NFL All-Decade Team
running back
Beattie Feathers
. After graduating, Brackett remained at Tennessee as an assistant. After stints at The Citadel and Hampden-Sydney
, he returned to Tennessee as an assistant to new head coach John Barnhill. Brackett followed Barnhill to Arkansas
in 1946. Following Barnhill's resignation after the 1949 season, Brackett moved to UCLA
where he was the Bruins' backfield coach
until 1962.
Brackett returned to coaching as an assistant with the Orlando Panthers of the Continental Football League
. He returned to college football in 1968 when his head coach with the Panthers, Perry Moss
hired him to work on his staff at Marshall
.
Brackett died in the 1970 plane crash that killed most of the Marshall football team and coaching staff and several team boosters. Brackett was supposed to go on a recruiting trip with fellow assistant William "Red" Dawson, however graduate assistant Gale Parker gave Brackett his seat and went on the trip instead.
Huntington, West Virginia
Huntington is a city in Cabell and Wayne counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia, along the Ohio River. Most of the city is in Cabell County, for which it is the county seat. A small portion of the city, mainly the neighborhood of Westmoreland, is in Wayne County. Its population was 49,138 at...
) was a College football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
player and coach.
Brackett played quarterback at Tennessee
University of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee is a public land-grant university headquartered at Knoxville, Tennessee, United States...
from 1931-1933. He played in the same backfield as College Football Hall of Fame
College Football Hall of Fame
The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and museum devoted to college football. Located in South Bend, Indiana, it is connected to a convention center and situated in the city's renovated downtown district, two miles south of the University of Notre Dame campus. It is slated to move...
r and NFL All-Decade Team
NFL 1930s All-Decade Team
This is a list of all NFL players who have had outstanding performances throughout the 1930s and have been compiled onto this fantasy group. The team was selected by voters of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.- External links :*...
running back
Running back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
Beattie Feathers
Beattie Feathers
William Beattie "Big Chief" Feathers was an American football running back in the NFL. He played for the Chicago Bears, Brooklyn Dodgers, and Green Bay Packers during his seven year career. He was the first player in NFL history to rush for over 1,000 yards in one season...
. After graduating, Brackett remained at Tennessee as an assistant. After stints at The Citadel and Hampden-Sydney
Hampden-Sydney College
Hampden–Sydney College is a liberal arts college for men located in Hampden Sydney, Virginia, United States. Founded in 1775, Hampden–Sydney is the oldest private charter college in the Southern U.S., the last college founded before the American Revolution, and one of only three four-year,...
, he returned to Tennessee as an assistant to new head coach John Barnhill. Brackett followed Barnhill to Arkansas
University of Arkansas
The University of Arkansas is a public, co-educational, land-grant, space-grant, research university. It is classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a research university with very high research activity. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and is located in...
in 1946. Following Barnhill's resignation after the 1949 season, Brackett moved to UCLA
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
where he was the Bruins' backfield coach
Running back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
until 1962.
Brackett returned to coaching as an assistant with the Orlando Panthers of the Continental Football League
Continental Football League
The Continental Football League was a professional minor American football league that operated in North America from 1965 through 1969. It was established following the collapse of the original United Football League, and hoped to become the major force in professional football outside of the...
. He returned to college football in 1968 when his head coach with the Panthers, Perry Moss
Perry Moss
-External links:...
hired him to work on his staff at Marshall
Marshall University
Marshall University is a coeducational public research university in Huntington, West Virginia, United States founded in 1837, and named after John Marshall, the fourth Chief Justice of the United States....
.
Brackett died in the 1970 plane crash that killed most of the Marshall football team and coaching staff and several team boosters. Brackett was supposed to go on a recruiting trip with fellow assistant William "Red" Dawson, however graduate assistant Gale Parker gave Brackett his seat and went on the trip instead.