Legendary Dupo High School basketball player and former Waterloo High School hoops coach Glenn “Tiger” Graff passed away earlier this month in Louisiana at the age of 86. 

As a senior on the Dupo basketball squad, Graff scored 75 points in a 102-66 road win at Waterloo on Feb. 17, 1956. It gave him the Cahokia Conference season scoring title and set multiple records. The feat still stands as the seventh most points in one game in state history.

Graff, who grew up on a farm in East Carondelet, scored 42 points in the first half, went 30-for-57 from the floor and 15-for-23 from the free-throw line. And this was before the advent of the three-point line, which would have given Graff even more points.

“About two-thirds of my shots were 25-footers or more,” Graff told the Republic-Times in a 2021 phone interview from his home in Alexandria, La.

Graff went on to set the career scoring record at Louisiana College in four years while also earning a degree in 1960. Graff then attended Louisiana Tech for his master’s degree.

Graff coached basketball at WHS from 1963-1968, compiling a record of 70-56 over five seasons. He also coached cross country for the Bulldogs.

Per his obituary, Graff coached at Louisiana Tech and Louisiana Christian University. 

“It was under his guidance that football legend Terry Bradshaw learned to fish, a testament to Glenn’s influence reaching far and wide,” his obituary states.

Eventually, Graff went on to run a successful Amway franchise for 48 years, showcasing an entrepreneurial spirit and dedication to excellence.

The key to success, Graff said, went back to the hard work, dedication and motivation to succeed that started on the family farm in East Carondelet and first came to light in the Dupo High School gym.

“You gotta keep going and keep fighting,” Graff told the Republic-Times in 2021. “Tough times don’t last. Tough people do.”

To read our 2021 articles on Graff, click here.

Funeral services took place April 15 in the Chapel of Hixson Brothers, Alexandria, La. 

The family has designated St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital for memorial contributions: 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105, or online at stjude.org/donate/donate-to-st-jude.