PHOTO | Daniel Gallegos
Jack Grissom is originally from Eads, Tennessee, and previously played for Mississippi College before joining the Wonder Boys football team in 2019.
Grissom graduated with a bachelor of arts in political sciences in Dec. 2021. He is working towards his master’s degree in business administration.
“I came to visit Tech two days before classes started in the fall of 2019 and enrolled the next day. I met coach Shipp during high school and even visited him when he was coaching for Arkansas, Monticello,” Grissom said.
“Besides coach Shipp, I did not know anyone on campus, but I believe God brought me here for a reason, and I would not trade the decision I made for the world,” he said.
Grissom started playing church league flag football at age 5 but did not step on the Tech field until this year as a redshirt senior and the starting quarterback.
“Being a redshirt for me means that I take on a role of leadership and experience. I have always tried to make it a point to set a good example, and since I am one of the older guys on the team, helping others be the best athlete and students they can be means a lot to me,” he said.
Grissom’s family was one of the biggest influences on his love of the game growing up; he went to every home game at Ole Miss and threw the football around with his dad every chance he could.
“My dad was the first and one of the only people who taught me how to throw the ball. My dad is one of my role models; he has taught me so much about life, football and my faith. I will never forget and certainly won’t take his lessons for granted,” Grissom said.
Having played the game for most of his life, Grissom notes that throwing his first touchdown and having a career-high in passing yards have stood out to him.
However, one of his most significant college career highs happened this year when the Wonder Boys defeated Southwestern Oklahoma at a home game.
“Our defense made a huge fourth down stop, and our offense was able to put together a game-winning drive with less than a minute remaining. Seeing the resiliency and our constant practice paying off was amazing. It is something I will never forget,” Grissom said.
Grissom plans to move to Memphis after completing his master’s and start working at a place that will fit his skillset.
