Presnell Alfonzo "Pres" Mull (August 28, 1922 – June 30, 2005) was an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

player and coach. He served as the head football coach at Appalachian State Teachers College—now known as

Appalachian State University Appalachian State University (; Appalachian, App State, App, or ASU) is a public university in Boone, North Carolina. It was founded as a teachers college in 1899 by brothers B. B. and D. D. Dougherty and the latter's wife, Lillie Shull Dough ...

—for one season in 1951 and at

Catawba College Catawba College is a private college in Salisbury, North Carolina. Founded in 1851 by the North Carolina Classis of the Reformed Church in Newton, the college adopted its name from its county of origin, Catawba County, before moving to its c ...

from 1959 to 1961, compiling a career

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

record of 13–26–1.

Biography

Mull was born in

Marion, North Carolina Marion is a city in and the county seat of McDowell County, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1844, the city was named in honor of Brigadier General Francis Marion, the American Revolutionary War Hero whose talent in guerrilla warfare ...

in 1922 to Horace and Estelle (Houck) Mull. He graduated from Pleasant Garden High School where he played basketball. Mull graduated from Appalachian State Teacher's College in 1947, after having served as a

reconnaissance In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, terrain, and other activities. Examples of reconnaissance include patrolling by troops (skirmisher ...

pilot in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. Mull served as head football coach for multiple local high schools before getting the position at

in 1951 when incumbent coach

E. C. Duggins Edward Cameron Duggins (August 23, 1912 – October 16, 1960) was an American college football coach. He was the ninth head football coach at Appalachian State Teachers College—now known as Appalachian State University—located in Boone, North ...

left to do

navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral zone, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and ...

service. He also served as assistant football coach at the University for multiple seasons, along with teaching science courses. Mull moved to

Lexington, North Carolina Lexington is the county seat of Davidson County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 18,931. It is located in central North Carolina, south of Winston-Salem. Major highways include I-85, I-85B, U ...

in 1954 after his application for head football coach at Lexington High School was successful. His team, the Yellow Jackets went 9–1 in its first season, greatly improving over previous seasons. Mull also coached at

from 1959 to 1961, but later returned to Lexington where he continued coaching until 1973. He coached in the North Carolina High Schools All-Star game in 1971. He was also a longtime science teacher and athletic director at the school. He retired in 1984 and lived in Lexington up until 2004, when he moved to

Chapel Hill, North Carolina Chapel Hill is a town in Orange, Durham and Chatham counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Its population was 61,960 in the 2020 census, making Chapel Hill the 17th-largest municipality in the state. Chapel Hill, Durham, and the state ca ...

. Mull was honored by being named one of the inaugural members of the Distinguished Alumni of Appalachian State University along with inductions into the state of North Carolina, Davidson County and North Carolina Athletic Association Athletic Halls of Fame. Mull also served 11 years on the Lexington Planning and Zoning Board, being appointed in 1972 and resigning in 1986. Mull died in 2005 at the

University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, th ...

hospital after a brief illness. He was married to Elsie Spratt for 60 years at his death. He had four daughters, one which predeceased him. His wife, Elsie died shortly after him, on July 24, 2005. Mull was described in multiple articles as a "legend" and someone "

hat A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...

you would not hear anyone bad about" that was a "gentleman's gentleman on and off the field". He was a member of the

United Methodist Church The United Methodist Church (UMC) is a worldwide mainline Protestant denomination based in the United States, and a major part of Methodism. In the 19th century, its main predecessor, the Methodist Episcopal Church, was a leader in evangelical ...

Head coaching record

College

Notes

*Name also given as "Preston" and "Press"

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mull, Press 1922 births 2005 deaths Appalachian State Mountaineers football coaches Appalachian State Mountaineers football players Catawba Indians football coaches High school football coaches in North Carolina American military personnel of World War II People from Marion, North Carolina American World War II pilots