Thurman "Fum" McGraw
 | This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (March 2015) |
 McGraw on a 1951 Bowman football card | |||||||||
| No. 73 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Defensive tackle | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | July 17, 1927 Garden City, Kansas, U.S. | ||||||||
| Died: | September 13, 2000 (aged 73) Fort Collins, Colorado, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 235 lb (107 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Paonia (Paonia, Colorado) | ||||||||
| College: | Colorado A&M (1946–1949) | ||||||||
| NFL draft: | 1950 / round: 2 / pick: 27 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
| |||||||||
Thurman "Fum" McGraw (July 17, 1927 – September 13, 2000) was an American football player and college athletics administrator. He played college football for the Colorado A&M Aggies—now known as the Colorado State Rams—and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1981.
Biography
[edit]McGraw was born in Garden City, Kansas. At Paonia High School, he won four letters in basketball, three each in football and baseball and was the Western Slope heavyweight-boxing champion.[1] Standing 6'5" and weighing 235 lbs., McGraw was fresh from action with the U.S. Marine Corps in World War II when he enrolled at Colorado State University in 1946, when it was known as Colorado A&M. Working diligently at his game, McGraw called upon lessons learned as a boxer and wrestler to fashion himself into a special breed of football player. His arm strength was crushing to opposing players and his agility developed through wrestling served him well when fending off opposing linemen. Colorado A&M finished 2–7 in McGraw's freshman season, but things would change quickly. As a sophomore, McGraw helped his Rams post a 5–4–1 mark, the team's best record in 11 years. Then, in 1948, the Aggies posted upsets over rivals Utah State, Wyoming, BYU and archrival Colorado. The 1949 campaign, McGraw's last as a four-year letterman, saw the Aggies log a 9–1 record marred only by a loss to Wyoming. After graduation, McGraw joined the Detroit Lions and captured Rookie of the Year and All-Pro honors. In 1981, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
While at Colorado State, McGraw was the school's first football All-American in 1949. When he returned to CSU in later years as a staff member, he also served as the athletic director from 1976 to 1986.
References
[edit]- ^ "Thurman 'Fum' McGraw". Colorado Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
External links
[edit]- Thurman "Fum" McGraw at the College Football Hall of Fame
- Career statistics and player information from NFL.com · Pro Football Reference
- 1927 births
- 2000 deaths
- American football defensive tackles
- American football tackles
- Colorado State Rams athletic directors
- Colorado State Rams football players
- Detroit Lions players
- College Football Hall of Fame inductees
- Western Conference Pro Bowl players
- United States Marine Corps personnel of World War II
- United States Marines
- People from Paonia, Colorado
- People from Garden City, Kansas
- Players of American football from Colorado