Scottie Graham
{{Short description|American football player, coach, and administrator (born 1969)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox NFL biography
| name = Scottie Graham
| position = Running backs coach
| current_team = Washington Huskies
| number =
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1969|03|28}}
| birth_place = Long Beach, New York, U.S.
| height_ft = 5
| height_in = 8
| weight_lb = 217
| high_school = Long Beach (NY)
| college = Ohio State
| draftyear = 1992
| draftround = 7
| draftpick = 188
| pastteams =
- Pittsburgh Steelers (1992)*
- New York Jets ({{NFL Year|1992}})
- Minnesota Vikings ({{NFL Year|1993|1996}})
- Cincinnati Bengals ({{NFL Year|1997}})
- Minnesota Vikings ({{NFL Year|1998}})*{{cite web |title=Transactions |url=https://www.nfl.com/transactions/league/signings/1998/6?after=AAAHzgAAAAYAAAASAAAAAAAD4mU= |website=NFL.com |access-date=24 October 2024}}
| pastadmin =
- Arizona State (2014–2020)
Associate athletic director
| pastcoaching =
- Arizona (2021–2023)
Running backs coach - Washington (2024–present)
Running backs coach
| statlabel1 = Rushing yards
| statvalue1 = 1,267
| statlabel2 = Rushing average
| statvalue2 = 3.5
| statlabel3 = Rushing touchdowns
| statvalue3 = 7
| pfr = G/GrahSc00
}}
James Otis Graham, better known as Scottie, (born March 28, 1969) is an American former professional football player who played running back for six seasons in the National Football League (NFL) with the New York Jets (1992), the Minnesota Vikings (1993–1996), and the Cincinnati Bengals (1997). He is the current running backs coach for the Washington Huskies after serving in the same position at Arizona.
College career
Graham attended Long Beach High School in Long Beach, New York, where he was a high school All-American in three sports: football, wrestling and lacrosse. He continued his football career with a full scholarship to Ohio State University, lettering four years and starting three years as running back. In his senior year, Graham was elected team captain by his peers. He was drafted by the Steelers in the seventh round of the 1992 NFL Draft.{{Cite web |title=1992 NFL Draft Listing |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/1992/draft.htm |access-date=2023-05-07 |website=Pro-Football-Reference.com |language=en}}
Graham continued his graduate studies during the off-season and received his master's degree in Black Studies at Ohio State during his fourth year with the Minnesota Vikings.
Professional career
{{NFL predraft
| height ft = 5
| height in = 8 3/8
| weight = 222
| dash = 4.65
| ten split = 1.64
| twenty split = 2.65
| shuttle = 4.22
| vertical = 33.5
| broad ft = 9
| broad in = 5
| bench = 25
| arm span = 30 5/8
| hand span = 8 5/8
}}
Graham played six seasons in the NFL with two teams - the New York Jets and the Minnesota Vikings. He amassed 1,247 rushing yards for his career, all without committing a single fumble across those six seasons. Graham received the Ed Block Courage Award for his exhibition of sportsmanship in 1996.
In 1993, Graham climbed through the ranks of the Vikings depth chart as a running back, finishing the season as Minnesota's leading rusher. By the end of December 1993, his 448 yards placed him 16th in the NFC with zero fumbles.
In one two-game stretch, he rushed for 139 yards against the Green Bay Packers and the following week, rushed for 166 yards against the Kansas City Chiefs. These 305 total rushing yards during two games were the most ever by a Viking running back in a two-game stretch. His effort would help ensure the Vikings reached the NFC Playoffs, the second of three straight appearances, in 1993.https://arizonawildcats.com/sports/football/roster/coaches/scottie-graham/5759 {{Bare URL inline|date=August 2024}}
Sports administration
Graham spent 15 years with the NFL Players Association in Washington, D.C. He began his career as a Regional Director with the trade association; later, he moved to the commercial subsidiary NFL PLAYERS to directly engage players with business partners, as the Director of Player Marketing and Engagement.
From 2014 to 2020, Graham served as Senior Associate Athletic Director for Student-Athlete Development and Welfare at Arizona State. The role made Graham the lead administrator for student-athlete development and welfare.https://arizonawildcats.com/sports/football/roster/coaches/scottie-graham/5759 {{Bare URL inline|date=August 2024}}
Assistant coach
Starting in 2021, Graham returned to the football field as an assistant coach in charge of running backs under Jedd Fisch for the Arizona Wildcats. Within three seasons, the Wildcats transformed from a one-win team to a third-place team in the PAC-12 Conference that earned an Alamo Bowl invitation in 2023.https://arizonawildcats.com/sports/football/roster/coaches/scottie-graham/5759 {{Bare URL inline|date=August 2024}}
References
{{reflist}}
{{Steelers1992DraftPicks}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Graham, Scottie}}
Category:American football running backs
Category:Cincinnati Bengals players
Category:Long Beach High School (New York) alumni
Category:Minnesota Vikings players
Category:New York Jets players
Category:Ohio State Buckeyes football players
Category:Sportspeople from Long Beach, New York
Category:Players of American football from Nassau County, New York
Category:Arizona Wildcats football coaches