Alec Teff found success on football field, volleyball court. He’s also Butler’s likely valedictorian
BUTLER TWP — Alec Teff knows what he wants to be in life. He just doesn’t know the particulars.
Butler football coach Eric Christy isn’t worried about the graduating quarterback and current Golden Tornado volleyball standout.
“He’ll get there. That kid is going to be successful no matter what he does,” Christy said.
The odds seem aimed in that direction.
Teff is on pace to graduate as valedictorian of Butler’s 2025 class, which would make him the second volleyball player in a row to do so after Riley Chapla. Teff carries a 4.54 grade point average and is headed to Georgia Tech University.
“It has one of the best engineering programs in the country,” Teff said. “I had Division III offers to play football and volleyball in college, but I couldn’t pass this up. I’ll play club volleyball in college.
“Sports will always be a big part of my life. Things I’ve learned from sports, like teamwork and leadership, have definitely helped me in academics.”
Teff said his goals after college include being an entrepreneur, starting his own business and inventing something that will make an impact on people.
“I have no idea what that is yet, but I’ll get there,” he said, smiling.
Don’t bet against him.
Despite missing his junior football campaign because of an injury in the season opener, Teff came back to throw for more than 1,300 yards and 10 touchdowns his senior year. He played football in seventh grade, but not as an eighth-grader.
He couldn’t stay away.
“I missed football too much,” he said. “I love watching it, I love playing it.”
A right-side hitter on the Golden Tornado volleyball team, Teff is on pace to break the school record for most serving aces in a season. Butler is 6-4 (2-3 Section 3-3A) and in fourth in its section after Thursday’s loss to Seneca Valley.
“He’s such an intelligent kid, and volleyball is a mental game,” Butler assistant coach Sam Berrett said. “He’s a solid blocker up front because he knows what the other side is planning to do.”
Tornado head volleyball coach Lew Liparulo agreed.
“The position he plays for us is like being the quarterback of a football team,” Liparulo said. “You have to read what’s going on on the other side and make plays against it.
“Volleyball is a transition game and Alec’s intelligence is a great asset. You have to think quickly and react. He excels at that.”
Teff has had a lot of training in that regard.
His older brother and sister both ranked No. 1 in their respective graduating classes. His mother, Nina Teff, serves on the Butler school board and is president of the football booster club. His father, Cody, helps out compiling statistics for the football team.
“Alec comes from an outstanding family, and he always thinks outside of the box,” Christy said. “As coaches, we listened to what he was thinking and learned from him at times.
“His work ethic is off the charts. I wish I had him for another year.”
Also a member of the National Honor Society, Teff remains busy outside the classroom. But studying has never been a problem for him.
“I never study at home,” he said. “What I learn in school stays with me. Retaining what I learn has never been an issue for me.”
While Teff’s playing career may be coming to an end soon, his involvement in athletics will continue. He plans to get into coaching at some point down the road.
“I can’t imagine my life without sports,” he said. “It will always be a part of me. I’d love to coach at the high school level, help other kids benefit from athletics the way I have.”
Liparulo believes it.
“He’s a leader because he thinks of other kids, not just himself,” Liparulo said. “He demands a lot of himself and from his teammates. Alec has the desire to make an impact, and that’s why he’ll make a great coach.
“How hard he works, his expectations and desire to excel. ... He will pass that along to his team.”
