| Don Grant |
Full Name: Donald E. Grant
Died: December 22, 2015, Perry, Fla.
School: Taylor County High School in Perry, Florida
Seminole Relations: Father of Billy Grant
Father of Don Grant
Father of Mike Grant
Grandfather of Michael Grant
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| Click On Photo To Enlarge |
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| FSU Career |
| Football | |
Year No Pos Hgt Wgt Cl Ltr Hometown 1947 14 QB 5-10 170 So * Perry 1948 24 QB 5-10 167 Jr * Perry |
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| Basketball | |
Year No Pos Hgt Wgt Cl Ltr Hometown 47-48 G 5-10 167 So N Perry |
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| Comments |
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Obituary for Don Grant By Jim Henry, Democrat sports editor Published in The Tallahassee Democrat on Dec. 23, 2015. Not only was Grant an important part of the Seminoles’ storied football history – he returned the first kickoff FSU ever received and passed for its first touchdown in 1947 – the former quarterback and longtime Perry resident helped secure the program’s future as a major booster and benefactor. Grant’s wife and their four children also attended FSU and obtained degrees. His three sons played golf for the Seminoles, too. “We were big Seminoles back in the day when there weren’t many Seminoles in Perry, Florida,” said middle son Mike Grant, 56, a three-year varsity golfer (1979-81) who was coached by the same Don Veller who was his father’s football coach in 1948. “We could name the Seminole families back in those days (laughing). There was only about five of them.” Don Grant passed away in his hometown of Perry Tuesday afternoon. He was 92. Grant played football, basketball and baseball at FSU, arriving on campus in 1946 following a standout prep career at Taylor County High and a stint in the Navy Air Corps. He was a two-way player for coach Ed Williamson in 1947, signaling the start of the program’s modern era. In FSU’s inaugural game against Stetson at Centennial Field – home to today’s Cascades Park – on Oct. 18, Grant returned the opening kickoff 29 yards. His 24-yard touchdown pass to Charles McMillan in the end-zone corner gave FSU an early 6-0 lead. But Stetson rallied to win 14-6 before a crowd of 7,165. FSU played that game without a nickname, adopting the Seminoles nickname – the choice made by a student ballot – in time for the second game at Cumberland. The Seminoles finished the season 0-5. Grant focused more on defense during his second season and final season in 1948, graduating in the spring of 1949. “Like a lot people form that generation, he didn’t really talk a whole lot about his past,” said Mike Grant, who works for Merrill Lynch in Tallahassee. “But he loved FSU though.” It showed. Grant returned to Perry, where he purchased an auto parts store – NAPA Perry Auto Supply is run by youngest son Billy Grant – and became the Seminoles’ chief booster in the area. Grant spent nearly 30 years on the Seminole Boosters, Inc., national board of directors, was among the first to earn Golden Chief designation when that donor level was created by the boosters and was given a "Founder" donation (applies to gifts from $50,000 and up) to the FSU Varsity Club. Grant and wife Carlyen were married for 58 years. Oldest son Don Grant Jr. lives in Coral Springs and daughter Cheryl Grant is engaged to Tallahassee attorney Bob Boyd. Not even recent health issues – heart and thrice-weekly dialysis treatment – slowed Grant. “He just kept going,” Mike Grant said of his father.
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| FSU Statistics |
| Football |
Season Statistics
Defense
| Tackles | Sacks | Fumble | Pass Defense | Blkd | PAT Attempts | | | |
Year GP | ua a Tot tfl-yds | no-yds | ff fr-yds-td | int-yds-td qbh brup | kick | kick rsh rcv | fg | saf dxp | td | pts
---------|----------------------|----------|--------------|---------------------|------|-----------------|--------|---------|----|----
1947 3 | 0 0 0 0.0- 0 | 0.0- 0 | 0 0- 0- 0 | 0- 0- 0 0 0 | 0 | 0- 0 0 0 | 0- 0 | 0 0 | 0 | 0
1948 3 | 0 0 0 0.0- 0 | 0.0- 0 | 0 0- 0- 0 | 0- 0- 0 0 0 | 0 | 0- 0 0 0 | 0- 0 | 0 0 | 0 | 0
---------|----------------------|----------|--------------|---------------------|------|-----------------|--------|---------|----|----
Tot 6 | 0 0 0 0.0- 0 | 0.0- 0 | 0 0- 0- 0 | 0- 0- 0 0 0 | 0 | 0- 0 0 0 | 0- 0 | 0 0 | 0 | 0
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Offense/Kick and Punt Returns
| Rushing | Receiving | Passing | Kick Returns | Punt Returns | all
Year GP | no yds avg td lg | no yds avg td lg | cmp- att-int yds td lg | no yds avg td lg | no yds avg td lg | purp
---------|----------------------|----------------------|--------------------------|-----------------------|-----------------------|-----
1947 3 | 0 21 0.0 0 | 0 0 0.0 0 | 5- 12 - 0 69 1 | 0 0 0.0 0 | 0 0 0.0 0 | 21
1948 3 | 7 2 0.3 0 | 0 0 0.0 0 | 0- 0 - 0 0 0 | 0 0 0.0 0 | 0 0 0.0 0 | 2
---------|----------------------|----------------------|--------------------------|-----------------------|-----------------------|-----
Tot 6 | 7 23 3.3 0 | 0 0 0.0 0 | 5- 12- 0 69 1 | 0 0 0.0 0 | 0 0 0.0 0 | 23
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| Football |
Game Participation
| Starts
1947 | GP Off Def
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Oct 18 Stetson | 1 QB DB
Nov 14 Cumberland | 1 QB DB
Dec 6 Jacksonville State | 1 LH DB
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Tot | 3 3 3
| Starts
1948 | GP Off Def
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Oct 9 Cumberland | 1 RG RG
Oct 16 Erskine College | 1
Dec 4 Tampa | 1
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Tot | 3 1 1
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Career Tot | 6 4 4
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| Football |
Game Statistics
| Tackles | Sacks | Fumble | Pass Defense | Blkd | PAT Attempts | | | |
1947 | ua a Tot tfl-yds | no-yds | ff fr-yds-td | int-yds-td qbh brup | kick | kick rsh rcv | fg | saf dxp | td | pts
----------------------------|----------------------|----------|--------------|---------------------|------|-----------------|--------|---------|----|----
Oct 18 Stetson | 0 0 0 0.0- 0 | 0.0- 0 | 0 0- 0- 0 | 0- 0- 0 0 0 | 0 | 0- 0 0 0 | 0- 0 | 0 0 | 0 | 0
Dec 6 Jacksonville State | 0 0 0 0.0- 0 | 0.0- 0 | 0 0- 0- 0 | 0- 0- 0 0 0 | 0 | 0- 0 0 0 | 0- 0 | 0 0 | 0 | 0
----------------------------|----------------------|----------|--------------|---------------------|------|-----------------|--------|---------|----|----
Tot | 0 0 0 0.0- 0 | 0.0- 0 | 0 0- 0- 0 | 0- 0- 0 0 0 | 0 | 0- 0 0 0 | 0- 0 | 0 0 | 0 | 0
| Tackles | Sacks | Fumble | Pass Defense | Blkd | PAT Attempts | | | |
1948 | ua a Tot tfl-yds | no-yds | ff fr-yds-td | int-yds-td qbh brup | kick | kick rsh rcv | fg | saf dxp | td | pts
----------------------------|----------------------|----------|--------------|---------------------|------|-----------------|--------|---------|----|----
Oct 9 Cumberland | 0 0 0 0.0- 0 | 0.0- 0 | 0 0- 0- 0 | 0- 0- 0 0 0 | 0 | 0- 0 0 0 | 0- 0 | 0 0 | 0 | 0
----------------------------|----------------------|----------|--------------|---------------------|------|-----------------|--------|---------|----|----
Tot | 0 0 0 0.0- 0 | 0.0- 0 | 0 0- 0- 0 | 0- 0- 0 0 0 | 0 | 0- 0 0 0 | 0- 0 | 0 0 | 0 | 0
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| Rushing | Receiving | Passing | Kick Returns | Punt Returns | all
1947 | no yds avg td lg | no yds avg td lg | cmp- att-int yds td lg | no yds avg td lg | no yds avg td lg | purp
----------------------------|----------------------|----------------------|--------------------------|-----------------------|-----------------------|-----
Oct 18 Stetson | 1 6 6.0 0 | 0 0 0.0 0 | 3- 3- 0 57 1 | 1 28 28.0 0 | 0 0 0.0 0 | 34
Dec 6 Jacksonville State | 0 15 0.0 0 | 0 0 0.0 0 | 0- 0- 0 0 0 | 0 0 0.0 0 | 0 0 0.0 0 | 15
----------------------------|----------------------|----------------------|--------------------------|-----------------------|-----------------------|-----
Tot | 1 21 21.0 0 | 0 0 0.0 0 | 3- 3- 0 57 1 | 1 28 28.0 0 | 0 0 0.0 0 | 49
| Rushing | Receiving | Passing | Kick Returns | Punt Returns | all
1948 | no yds avg td lg | no yds avg td lg | cmp- att-int yds td lg | no yds avg td lg | no yds avg td lg | purp
----------------------------|----------------------|----------------------|--------------------------|-----------------------|-----------------------|-----
Oct 9 Cumberland | 1 2 2.0 0 | 0 0 0.0 0 | 0- 0- 0 0 0 | 0 0 0.0 0 | 0 0 0.0 0 | 2
----------------------------|----------------------|----------------------|--------------------------|-----------------------|-----------------------|-----
Tot | 1 2 2.0 0 | 0 0 0.0 0 | 0- 0- 0 0 0 | 0 0 0.0 0 | 0 0 0.0 0 | 2
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| Basketball |
--3 Point--- ----REBOUNDS-----
Year GP GS Min FGM FGA PCT FGM FGA PCT FTM FTA PCT PTS AVG OFF DEF TOT AVG PF DQ AST TO BLK STL
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47-48 1 0 .000 .000 0 .000 0 0.0 0.0
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Tot 1 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 .000 0 0 .000 0 0.0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0
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| Basketball |
Game Statistics 1947-48 3 Point --REBOUNDS-- Date Opponent GP GS Min FGM FGA FGM FGA FTM FTA PTS OFF DEF TOT PF AST TO BLK STL -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dec 12 Troy State 1 0 0 0 0 1 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Totals 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 |
There was no questioning Don
Grant’s allegiance to Florida State.