Otto Graham

Otto Everett Graham, Jr. was born December 6, 1921 in Waukegan, Illinois (some sources say Evanston, Illinois). One of four brothers, he grew up in a world of sports and music. Both Graham's parents were music teachers and by the time he left high school he could play piano, cornet, violin and French horn. When he was sixteen

Otto Graham

years old, Graham was named the Illinois French horn champion; the Waukegan High School brass sextet he played on as a high school senior also won a national championship. Graham majored in music at Northwestern University but stopped playing altogether when he entered professional sports. After he retired he said that giving up music was his one great regret.

Graham excelled in sports in high school too. As a senior, he was named to the All-State squads in both basketball and football. His prowess on the basketball court won him an athletic scholarship to Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. The six-foot, 200-pound Graham proved a versatile athlete at Northwestern. While captain of the school's basketball team, he was the second-highest scorer in the Big Ten conference. He was named the most valuable player on a team of college basketball all-stars that beat the Washington Bears, then the champions of the National Basketball League (NBL). Graham racked up the third-highest batting average in the school's history as a member of the Northwestern baseball team. Graham was given a chance to join the university varsity football team, when coach Lynn "Pappy" Waldorf saw his performance in an intramural football championship. Knee surgery interrupted Graham's college career briefly, but he was back in the line-up to lead Northwestern to two victories over Ohio State, then the national champions. Ohio State's coach Paul Brown would remember the young man's talent and poise on the field.