University Awards 2026: Derwin Gray

Dr. Derwin L. Gray – Distinguished Alumni Award

BS ’96 Physical Education, (MDiv ’08, Southern Evangelical Seminary; Honorary D.Div. ’15, Southern Evangelical Seminary; DMin ’18, Northern Seminary)

Dr. Derwin L. Gray is the co-founding and Lead Pastor of Transformation Church in the greater Charlotte, North Carolina, region. He was playing football for BYU when he met his wife Vicki, who threw javelin on the track team. Gray and his wife Vicki have two adult children, whom he considers “God’s greatest gifts.” After six years playing professional football in the NFL with the Colts and Panthers, Gray felt called to help people come to know and love Jesus. He wanted to see lives healed, identities restored, and communities transformed by the love of Christ. He went back to school for a Master of Divinity and Doctorate of Ministry.

Gray is an award-winning author and a recipient of the John M. Perkins Justice Award—an award given to a visionary leader whose life and work exemplify the principles of biblical justice. Transformation Church is a multiethnic, multi-generational community of people from all walks of life, united by Jesus—“a place where broken people find healing, where faith becomes real, and where love is more than a message.”