William Jewell College mourns the passing of former Cardinal student-athlete, coach, Alumni Board of Governors member, and Hall of Famer, Ted Graves. 
 
Surrounded by his family he passed peacefully on June 24, at the age of 57, after a battle with cancer. 
 
"I am saddened by the sudden and unexpected loss of Ted Graves and offer my most sincere condolences to Julie, Rachel, Meredith and the rest of the Graves family," said Director of Athletics Tom Eisenhauer, who is a former student-athlete under Graves. "I met Ted in 2002 when I arrived on campus as a member of the track & field team and have since had the pleasure of being coached by him and coaching with him. He described himself as a "lifer" and loved William Jewell College deeply. He always believed in – and insisted on having – fun which is a life lesson I will always take with me. Under Coach Graves, the throwers worked hard and were very good but always did it with a smile. He would do anything for the kids he coached and his positive impact went well beyond the sport.  Ted Graves will be missed in the rings and on the sidelines but never forgotten."
 
Graves came to The Hill in the fall of 1979 as a freshman football player and went on to become a two-sport standout, as he was a member of three Hall of Fame teams on the gridiron in addition to being a three-time Heart of America Conference champion in the discus. Outside of athletics he was a member of Sigma Nu Fraternity and graduated with a degree in physical education and history in 1984. 

Following his playing career Graves taught K-12 and coached in the Cabool (1984-85) and Kearney (1985-2013) school districts before retiring after 29 years in secondary education. He returned to his alma mater in the late 1980s as a volunteer track and field coach before serving as an assistant coach in the late 90s. He came back to the football field in 2002 where he served on the staffs under Fran Schwenk and David Bassore for five seasons. While on the sidelines for five years, Graves also operated the game clock for the Jewell football team for more than 25 seasons. 

In 2004 he was named the head coach of the Cardinal track and field programs, a position he held through the 2009 season. He then served as assistant coach, in charge of throwers for nine years before retiring in May 2018. During his more than 20 years as a coach he helped mentor 20 individual conference champions and more than 30 national qualifiers. 

In addition, to his work in athletics, he was an active member of the Alumni Board of Governors and served as the Clay County Treasurer since 2012. 
 
Graves is survived by his wife, Julie, and two daughters, Rachel and Meredith who he had the privilege of coaching during her career at Jewell. 

Funeral arrangements are under direction of Church-Archer-Pasley Funeral Home in Liberty with service arrangements pending.