Otto Graham was an NFL football player. Former professional football player, actor, social activist Drafted in the ’44 first round by the Detroit Lions, Otto married college sweetheart Beverly Collinge from Wabash, Indiana and signed instead with Paul Brown’s newly formed Cleveland Browns of the All America Football Conference. God-given ability. Born in Waukegan, Illinois, Graham's first interest growing up was music. Otto Graham. "When we went into that game, I can assure you that no team in the entire history of the sport was as well prepared mentally as we were," Graham said in an interview after his retirement. After losing the 1953 title game 17-16 to the Detroit Lions, he led the Browns to a crushing victory over Detroit the following year, winning the championship game 56-10. Otto Everett Graham Jr. Graham, who was cool under pressure and remarkably consistent, was named AAFC Most Valuable Player three of those four seasons, in 1947, 1948 and 1949, leading the league in passing yardage each year. Otto Everett Graham, Jr. set his first state record at birth in Waukegan, Illinois on December 6, 1921, weighing in at 14 lbs., 12 ozs. Within the “Cite this article” tool, pick a style to see how all available information looks when formatted according to that style. Otto Graham was born on December 6, 1921 (age 81) in Waukegan, Illinois, United States. Butler, Jason. Draft: 1st round, 4th overall of the 1944 NFL draft by the Detroit Lions. 978-436-1582 or email us at rvanname@gmail.com, var l1 = document.getElementsByTagName('a');for(i=0; i