Graham, Otto

Graham, Otto

▪ American athlete
in full  Otto Everett Graham, Jr. , byname  Automatic Otto 
born December 6, 1921, Waukegan, Illinois, U.S.
died December 17, 2003, Sarasota, Florida

      American collegiate and professional gridiron football player and coach best remembered as the quarterback of the Cleveland Browns during a 10-year period in which they won 105 games, lost 17, and tied 5 in regular-season play and won 7 of 10 championship games.

      Graham was an all-around athlete in high school. At Northwestern University (1941–43) he was named All-American in football (1943), and in 1944 he joined the U.S. Navy and trained as an aircraft pilot. The navy sent him to Colgate University, where he played basketball and was named an All-American (All-America team).

      Graham began his professional career in sports playing for the Rochester Royals in the National Basketball League. He then switched to football, playing for the Cleveland Browns (All-America Football Conference, 1946–49; National Football League [NFL], 1950–55). In college Graham had played tailback, which was the passing position in the single-wing formation used by Northwestern, but in Cleveland, where the T formation was favoured, he played quarterback. He led his league as a passer in six seasons; in the 1950 NFL championship game, he passed for four touchdowns; in the 1954 championship game, he passed for three and ran for three more. His career average yardage per pass of 8.63 yards was still an NFL record at the turn of the century, and his 10.55 yards per pass in 1955 was the third best single-season average in history. He was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1965.

      After retiring as a player, he was head coach and athletic director of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy (1959–66). He then served as general manager and coach of the NFL Washington Redskins (1966–68).

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Graham, Otto Everett, Jr. — ▪ 2004       American football player (b. Dec. 6, 1921, Waukegan, Ill. d. Dec. 17, 2003, Sarasota, Fla.), was nicknamed “Automatic Otto” for his consistently outstanding play as quarterback for the Cleveland Browns. During his 10 years as a… …   Universalium

  • Graham, Otto (Everett, Jr.) — born Dec. 6, 1921, Waukegan, Ill., U.S. U.S. gridiron football player and coach. He was a star tailback at Northwestern University, but he is best remembered as quarterback of the Cleveland Browns during a 10 year period (1946–55) in which they… …   Universalium

  • Graham, Otto (Everett, Jr.) — (n. 6 dic. 1921, Waukegan, Ill., EE.UU.). Jugador y técnico estadounidense de fútbol americano. Fue corredor estrella en la Northwestern University, pero se lo recuerda sobre todo por su desempeño como mariscal de campo de los Cleveland Browns,… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Otto Graham — in 1959 while serving as head football coach and athletic director at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy No. 60, 14      …   Wikipedia

  • Graham — Graham, Martha Graham, Thomas Graham, Tierra de * * * (as used in expressions) Florence Nightingale Graham Ballard, J(ames) G(raham) Bell, Alexander Graham Graham, Billy William Franklin Graham, Jr. Graham, Jorie …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • graham — /gray euhm, gram/, adj. made of graham flour. [1825 35] * * * (as used in expressions) Florence Nightingale Graham Ballard James Graham Bell Alexander Graham Graham Billy Graham Jorie Graham Katharine Graham Martha Graham Otto Everett Jr. Greene… …   Universalium

  • otto — /ot oh/, n. attar (def. 1). * * * (as used in expressions) Bismarck Otto Eduard Leopold prince von Dix Otto Graham Otto Everett Jr. Hahn Otto Jansen Cornelius Otto Jespersen Jens Otto Harry Klemperer Otto Kuusinen Otto Vilhelm Liman von Sanders… …   Universalium

  • Otto — /ot oh/; Ger. /awt oh/, n. a male given name: from a Germanic word meaning rich. * * * (as used in expressions) Bismarck Otto Eduard Leopold prince von Dix Otto Graham Otto Everett Jr. Hahn Otto Jansen Cornelius Otto Jespersen Jens Otto Harry… …   Universalium

  • Graham — /gray euhm, gram/, n. 1. Martha, 1894 1991, U.S. dancer and choreographer. 2. Thomas, 1805 69, Scottish chemist. 3. William Franklin ( Billy ), born 1918, U.S. evangelist. 4. a male given name: from an Old English word meaning gray home. * * *… …   Universalium

  • Otto — Debido al alemán Nikolaus August Otto que adoptó las ideas de Alphonse Beau de Rochas, quien, en 1862, propuso un ciclo de cuatro tiempos para solucionar el problema de falta de potencia de los motores de explosión. Otto fabricó eficientes… …   Enciclopedia Universal

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