The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001-07.
Graham, Otto Everett, Jr.
1921–2003, American football player and coach, b. Waukegan, Ill. He was an All-American football and basketball player at Northwestern Univ. before he joined the Cleveland Browns in 1946 after serving in the Navy (1944–5) and briefly playing professional basketball. Playing at quarterback, Graham led the Browns to ten championship games and seven titles (1946–9 in the All-America Football Conference; 1950 and 1954–5 in the National Football League. An outstanding passer, he was a four-time NFL All-Pro player before he retired in 1955. He coached at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy (1959–66), where he was also athletic director (1959–66, 1970–85), and for the Washington Redskins (1966–8).
