Biography.guide
Home › People › Head coach › Deke Brackett
Portrait of Deke Brackett

Deke Brackett

1911 – 1970

American football player and coach

Don't just read it — keep itBiographies to ownE-book · Audio · Video From $7 →

About Deke Brackett

Lived 1911 – 1970 (aged 59). Deke Brackett was an American head coach and american football player.

Herbert Benjamin "Deke" Brackett (January 2, 1911 – November 14, 1970) was an American football player and coach.

Brackett played quarterback at the University of Tennessee from 1931 to 1933. He played in the same backfield as halfback Beattie Feathers, future College Football Hall of Famer and NFL All-Decade Team member. 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 University.

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 Gail Parker gave Brackett his seat and went on the recruiting trip instead.

Biography shop

Don’t just read it —
keep it.

Full-length biographies made to live with: read them, listen on the way to work, watch them tonight.

  • E-book
  • Audio
  • Video
Browse the shop — from $7

Instant download · yours to keep · every purchase keeps this site free

Important facts

Birth century
Nationality
Education
University of Tennessee

People in Deke Brackett's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Deke Brackett's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Deke Brackett?

American football player and coach (1911-1970)

When was Deke Brackett born?

Deke Brackett was born on 2 January 1911.

When did Deke Brackett die?

Deke Brackett died on 14 November 1970 in Huntington.

What was Deke Brackett's occupation?

Deke Brackett was a head coach and american football player.

What nationality was Deke Brackett?

Deke Brackett was American.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Deke Brackett

· Wikidata: Q5252777

· DBpedia: Deke Brackett

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Deke Brackett. https://biography.guide/deke-brackett/

MLA: "Deke Brackett." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/deke-brackett/.

Chicago: "Deke Brackett." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/deke-brackett/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-26 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

Page generated 2026-09-27 05:14 UTC