Hall of Fame
Debbie Graves, or Debbie Carter as she was known at that time, graduated from Kirkwood High School in 1975 and competed in track at the university from 1976-79. Records indicate she was the first university female athlete to receive a scholarship and earn a varsity letter. Mrs. Graves was a track All-American. She won the 60-yard dash at the 1978 AIAW indoor championships with a time of 6.82, coming within one hundredth of a second of breaking the women's American record at that time. She finished fifth in the 100-meter dash at the 1978 AIAW outdoor championships and finished fourth in the 100 at the 1979 AIAW outdoor championships. At the time there was only one collegiate division in track. Mrs. Graves held the school records in the indoor 50, 55 and 60 and the outdoor 100 and 200. She takes great pride in the fact that she was the first runner-up for the 1977 Homecoming Queen and the university's representative for the 1978 Drake Relays Queen. She graduated from the university in 1979 and has been employed at Kirkwood High School. Between 1979-84, Mrs. Graves was assistant field hockey coach, assistant track coach and then varsity track coach for girls. She also served as high school guidance counselor at Kirkwood.
