Bio
Dr. Derrick L. Gragg is currently serving his third year as the Director of Intercollegiate Athletics at Eastern Michigan University (EMU).  During Gragg’s first year as athletic director at EMU, the athletics program set a school and Mid-American Conference (MAC) record by capturing a remarkable eight team conference championships and finishing as runner-ups in two other sports.  During Gragg’s second year, the athletic program secured the Reese Trophy, which is awarded annually to the top overall men’s athletic program in the conference.  Gragg, who is one of the youngest Football Bowl Subdivision athletic directors in  the country, became Eastern Michigan’s 11th director of athletics after spending six years at  the University of Arkansas (UofA).  He first joined the UofA in 2000 as an associate athletic director and was promoted to senior associate athletic director in 2003.  He was promoted to deputy athletic director in 2006.  During his tenure at Arkansas, Gragg was responsible for various areas including: athletic administration, sport program oversight, marketing, sports information, recruitment, budget, student-athlete support, compliance, facilities and game management, fundraising and research. 

During his career, Gragg has published several articles and editorials on intercollegiate athletics as well as a nationwide study on sports-related gambling.  He is a former member of the NCAA’s Minority Opportunities & Interests Committee, having served as co-chair of the committee in 2004-05.  Gragg has also served as a member of the Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Northwest Arkansas Board of Directors and as a member of the American Heart Association, Northwest Arkansas Board of Directors.  He currently serves as a member of the NCAA’s Academic/Eligibility/Compliance Cabinet and as a member of the NACDA Division IA Athletic Directors Scholarship Ad Hoc Steering Committee.  

A former collegiate wide receiver, Gragg lettered four years at Vanderbilt while earning his degree. He graduated with a Bachelor’s in Human Development in 1992 and was a member of the Southeastern Conference Academic Honor Roll during his senior year.  Gragg served from 1993 to 1995 as an academic counselor at his alma mater before adding the title of director of student life in his final year at Vanderbilt.   During his time as a Commodore athletic administrator, he coordinated student life and support programs as well as supervising the academic counseling programs for student-athletes.  In 1995, Gragg was named director of compliance & operations at the University of Missouri. During his two years in Columbia, he was the game event manager for 10 Olympic sports programs and served on the Big 12 Compliance Coordinators Group during his last year as compliance coordinator at the university.

Named assistant athletic director for compliance at the University of Michigan (UM) in 1997, Gragg spent three years with oversight of the UM compliance department. While serving in Ann Arbor, Gragg also earned his Master’s Degree in Sports Administration from Wayne State University (WSU).  He also served on the faculty at WSU, teaching intercollegiate sport administration and sports marketing classes.  He earned his doctorate in higher education administration from the UofA in May of 2004 and also taught two undergraduate courses during his tenure there as an athletic administrator.

Gragg is a proud member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.  He is also a member of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and the Black Coaches and Administrators (BCA).  Gragg and his wife, Sanya, have a daughter age 14, and two sons ages 11 and 7.