Graham Tutt (27 August 1956 – 22 June 2022) was an English professional footballer who played as a

goalkeeper In many team sports that involve scoring goal (sport), goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie, or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or i ...

. After spending four seasons in England and sustaining a serious eye injury, he spent two seasons in South Africa before moving to the United States for the remainder of his career. He played two seasons in the second division American Soccer League and one in the

North American Soccer League The North American Soccer League (NASL) was the top-level major professional soccer league in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to 1984. It is considered the first soccer league to be successful on a national scale in the ...

. He also finished runner up in the 1986

National Amateur Cup The National Amateur Cup, also known as the USASA Amateur Cup, is an American knockout soccer competition open to all amateur teams affiliated with the United States Soccer Federation through United States Adult Soccer Association The Unite ...

with Atlanta Datagraphics. After his retirement, he held numerous coaching and executive positions in the state of Georgia. In 1974, Tutt made his professional debut with

Charlton Athletic Charlton Athletic Football Club is a professional association football club based in Charlton, south-east London, England. The team compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English football league system. Their home ground is ...

. He was seventeen at the time. During the 1975–1976 season, he went on loan with Workington FC for four games. In 1976, he suffered an eye injury which put him of action for eighteen months. In 1978, he returned to playing with the

Arcadia Shepherds Arcadia Shepherds are a South African association football club based in Arcadia, Pretoria. It is affiliated with the Football Association of Pretoria (FAP). History The club was founded in 1903, and was briefly renamed ''Arcadia United'' in t ...

in the South African League. In 1979, he played for the Arcadia Pepsi which may have been the same team, under new sponsorship. During his two seasons in South Africa, he was twice selected as the Goalkeeper of the Year by the South African Press. In 1980, he moved to the United States where he spent one season with the Columbus Magic in the second division American Soccer League. He was an ASL All Star and moved up to the

Atlanta Chiefs The Atlanta Chiefs were an American professional soccer team based in Atlanta, Georgia. The team competed in the National Professional Soccer League (1967), National Professional Soccer League (NPSL) in 1967 and the North American Soccer League ...

of the

in 1981. In 1982, he finished his professional career with the Georgia Generals of the ASL. However, he continued to play for several years on the amateur level, ironically, as a forward. In 1983, as part of the Anhauser Busch team, he led the Atlanta District Amateur Soccer League (ADASL) in scoring. In 1984, he moved to

Atlanta Datagraphic Atlanta Datagraphic was an amateur U.S. soccer club sponsored by the Datagraphic firm of Atlanta, Georgia. It won the 1979 National Amateur Cup. History In 1979, George D. Baker, president of Datagraphic, a printing firm located in Atlanta, Georg ...

Soccer Club, also in the ADASL, where he played until 1988. In 1987, Datagraphic fell to Yonkers Polish American Eagles in the final of the

. He retired from playing in 1988. After his retirement from playing professionally, Tutt turned towards coaching. From 1983 to 2004, he ran various soccer training camps throughout the state of Georgia. In 1988, he established the Canturbury Parks Soccer Complex. In 1989, he founded the

Atlanta Attack Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County and extends into neighboring DeKalb County. With a population of 520,070 (2024 estimate) living within the city limits, Atlan ...

of the indoor National Professional Soccer League. In 1991, he founded the men's soccer team at

Life University Life University is a private university focused on training chiropractors and located in Marietta, Georgia, United States. It was established in 1974 by a chiropractor, Sid E. Williams. A 2024 report found that students in Life's doctor of chi ...

and coached it until the school disbanded its sports program in 2001. Tutt died on 22 June 2022, at the age of 65.

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Career summary
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tutt, Graham 1956 births 2022 deaths English men's footballers Footballers from London Men's association football goalkeepers American Soccer League (1933–1983) players North American Soccer League (1968–1984) indoor players North American Soccer League (1968–1984) players Charlton Athletic F.C. players Workington A.F.C. players Columbus Magic players Atlanta Chiefs players Georgia Generals players Atlanta Datagraphic players English football managers American soccer chairmen and investors English expatriate men's footballers English expatriate sportspeople in the United States Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States English Football League players