Aaron Graham
{{Short description|American football player (born 1973)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2023}}
{{BLP sources|date=August 2014}}
{{Use American English|date=September 2024}}
{{Infobox NFL biography
| name = Aaron Graham
| number = 54, 68, 60
| position = Center
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1973|5|22}}
| birth_place = Las Vegas, New Mexico, U.S.
| height_ft = 6
| height_in = 4
| weight_lb = 301
| high_school = Denton (TX)
| college = Nebraska
| draftyear = 1996
| draftround = 4
| draftpick = 112
| pastteams =
- Arizona Cardinals ({{NFL Year|1996|1999}})
- Kansas City Chiefs ({{NFL Year|2000}})*{{cite web |title=Transactions |url=https://www.nfl.com/transactions/league/signings/2000/4?after=AAAH0AAAAAQAAAASAAAAAAAEfR0= |website=NFL.com |access-date=30 December 2024}}
- Las Vegas Outlaws (2001)
- Oakland Raiders ({{NFL Year|2001}})
- Tennessee Titans ({{NFL Year|2002}})
| highlights =
- 2× National champion (1994, 1995)
- First-team All-American (1995)
- First-team All-Big Eight (1995)
| statlabel1 = Games played
| statvalue1 = 92
| statlabel2 = Games started
| statvalue2 = 40
| statlabel3 = Fumble recoveries
| statvalue3 = 2
| pfr = GrahAa20
}}
Aaron Geddes Graham (born May 22, 1973){{Cite web|url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/G/GrahAa20.htm|title=Aaron Graham Stats|website=Pro-Football-Reference.com|language=en|access-date=August 5, 2019}} is an American former professional football player who was a center who played six seasons in the National Football League (NFL) for the Arizona Cardinals (1996–1999), the Oakland Raiders (2001), and the Tennessee Titans (2002). Graham also played college football for the University of Nebraska–Lincoln from 1991 to 1995, where he played in three national championship games, winning two in 1994 and 1995.
Early life
Graham attended Denton High School in Denton, Texas, where he played for the Denton Broncos high school football team.
College career
Graham attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where he played college football for the Nebraska Cornhuskers from 1991 to 1995 under head coach Tom Osborne. Graham played as the starting center for most of the 1993 through 1995 seasons, and played in three national championship games, winning two back-to-back in 1994 and 1995.{{Cite web|url=https://dataomaha.com/huskers/player/2606/aaron-graham|title=Aaron Graham - Class of 1992 - Nebraska football recruits|website=dataomaha.com|language=en|access-date=August 5, 2019}} During his 1993 season, Graham and the Cornhuskers entered the 1994 Orange Bowl ranked number 2 at 11-0 but lost to Florida State University. In 1994, Graham and the Cornhuskers finished the season with an 13–0 record, beating Miami for the national title in the 1995 Orange Bowl.{{Cite web|url=https://www.footballstudyhall.com/2017/6/28/15887246/1995-orange-bowl-nebraska-miami-tom-osborne|title=1994: Nebraska 24, Miami 17|last=C|first=Bill|date=June 28, 2017|website=Football Study Hall|access-date=August 5, 2019}} In his senior season, Graham and the Cornhuskers won the rest of their regular season games, finishing 12–0. Nebraska won the championship game against Florida in the Fiesta Bowl, 62–24.
As a senior, Graham was named the 1995 AP All-American Football Player. He won multiple awards during his college career such as Academic All-American from 1994 to 1995 and the 1996 Top Eight Award that is given to the nation's elite scholar athletes. While playing college football for Nebraska he was also recognized by the NCAA for "athletic accomplishments, academic achievements, character, leadership and other activities".{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1933&dat=19960109&id=btcgAAAAIBAJ&sjid=DmsFAAAAIBAJ&pg=1467,598867&hl=en|title=NCAA honors Graham|date=January 9, 1996|work=McCook Daily Gazette|access-date=February 18, 2016|publisher=AP|page=9}}
Professional career
Graham was selected by Arizona in the fourth round of the 1996 NFL Draft.{{Cite web |title=1996 NFL Draft Listing |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/1996/draft.htm |access-date=March 30, 2023 |website=Pro-Football-Reference.com |language=en}} Graham played six seasons as center in the NFL with the Arizona Cardinals (1996–1999), the Oakland Raiders (2001), and the Tennessee Titans (2002). Graham was planning on going back for his 7th season with the Tennessee Titans, but instead retired after six seasons with the NFL.
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.justsportsstats.com/footballstatsindex.php?player_id=grahaaar001 Stats Crew profile]
{{1994 Nebraska Cornhuskers football navbox}}
{{1995 Nebraska Cornhuskers football navbox}}
{{Arizona Cardinals 1996 draft navbox}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Graham, Aaron}}
Category:People from Las Vegas, New Mexico
Category:Players of American football from Denton, Texas
Category:American football centers
Category:Nebraska Cornhuskers football players
Category:Arizona Cardinals players
Category:Oakland Raiders players
Category:Tennessee Titans players