The rich tradition of the Cleveland Browns has 17members in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, which is the sixth-highest total league-wide. Only the Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers, New York Giants, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Washington Redskins claim more Hall of Famers. Otto Graham is one of the Famers.
OTTO GRAHAM
Position: Quarterback
College: Northwestern
Seasons Played: 1946–55
Seasons With Browns: 1946-55
Year Inducted: 1965
Stats: 1,464 of 2,626 passing for 23,584 yards and 174 touchdowns
AAFC Awards: MVP, 1947–48
NFL Awards: MVP, 1951, ’53, ’55
All-AAFC: 1946–49
All-Pro: 1951–55
Pro Bowl: 1950–54
Death: Age 82 in 2003
In the records of the Hall Of Fame for the Browns, Otto Graham is the greatest quarterback of his era, Graham led the Browns to a championship game in each of his 10 seasons, winning seven of them. Graham joined the U.S Navy instead of signing the draft by the Lions in 1944.
By signing with the Browns in 1946, Graham joined numerous future Hall of Famers and posted a record of 114-20-4. His winning percentage remains an NFL record, as does his average yards per pass mark of 8.98 yards.
In the final game, Graham accounted for six touchdowns in a 56–10 thrashing of the Lions in the 1954 NFL championship game. Despite announcing his retirement, Graham returned for the 1955 season, and he still remains the best quarterback in the history of the franchise.
Following his career, Graham was a coach for the Coast Guard Academy, and also coached Washington from 1966 to ’68
