Saint of the Week: Jimmy Graham

In 2010, my New Orleans Saints drafted a basketball player. Jimmy Graham found his way to New Orleans as the 95th pick overall!  But his road there was a long one...

  

Part of what made me a football fan originally, was feeling personally invested in the players (i spent a good chunk of my time at Tulane interning at the Superdome & N.O. Arena).  Sometimes pure athleticism can make you root for someone, but sometimes, it helps to know their story (um... could anyone root against Michael Oher after the blindside?!).

Jimmy (yea... I like to think we are tight like that) had a pretty rough time of it as a kid.   I won't go into detail, because i think his future is the important part... but long story short, he had a mom who didn't treat him well, and he landed in a group home by the age of 11. He had to deal with older kids beating up on him (we aren't talking your cute sibling rivalry) sometimes until his eyes were swollen shut (yea, kids are mean).  In high school, a church youth counselor took him into her home, and he really started to shine... his grades went up, and he became a basketball star.   By the time he finished high school, he had earned a basketball scholarship for college.  

Graham played basketball for the Miami Hurricanes while earning his degree with a double major in marketing and management (smarty pants!)  He stuck around to take graduate classes so he could play a season of football.  He finished his first season as a tight end with just 17 receptions, but 5 touchdowns!   The whole basketball player turned football player might sound a bit strange, but it isn't as odd as you might think (can we say... Tony Gonzales?!) Plus, the Saints had Shockey and Thomas, so they felt they had the breathing room to develop Graham's rawer talent, and give him the tools he needs to become truly great player. 

My-oh-my did they made a good decision!  In his first NFL game in his home state (North Carolina), Graham caught a 19 yard touchdown pass to score his first NFL touchdown.  He finished his first season (2010) with 31 catches for 356 yards and 5 touchdowns.  Not too shabby!  But it really wasn't until this year that he truly hit his stride.  In his first 12 games, he had 75 catches for over 1,000 receiving yards.  This made him the first tight end in Saints history to have more than 1,000 receiving yards in a season.

  

 

DUNK

Graham, a true athlete, gets bonus points for playing through a lot of pain last week against the Titans, a game the must have confused for flag day... (come on guys, clean it up),  and caught five passes for 55 yards. He almost added a 4-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter, but officials ruled that his toe apparently dusted the out-of-bounds grass. 

But even more than his accomplishments on the field... I am inspired by his character.  According to Graham, he and his biological mother are "slowly rebuilding their relationship", and he is paying it forward, working with and inspiring kids in the foster system. 

With Kids in the America Foster Care Program

Now THAT that is CHARACTER.   Glad to see yet another member of the Saints club who is a role model, not just an athlete. 

Hugs & Touchdowns,
Lily