Portal:American football/Selected biography/5
Otto Graham (1921–2003) was an American football quarterback who played for the Cleveland Browns in the All-America Football Conference and National Football League. Graham is regarded by critics as one of the most dominant players of his era, having taken the Browns to league championship games every year between 1946 and 1955, winning seven of them.
He grew up in Waukegan, Illinois, and entered Northwestern University in 1940 on a basketball scholarship, although football became his main sport. After a brief stint in the military, and a season playing basketball for the Rochester Royals, Graham joined the Browns, where he thrived. With him at quarterback, the Browns posted a record of 114 wins, 20 losses and 4 ties, including a 9–3 win–loss record in the playoffs.
While most of Graham's statistical records have been surpassed, he still holds the NFL record for career average yards gained per pass attempt. After he retired from playing football in 1955, Graham became head football coach at the Coast Guard Academy in Connecticut for seven years. He then spent three unsuccessful seasons as head coach of the Washington Redskins before returning to the Coast Guard Academy as athletic director until his retirement. (Full article...)