The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Browns set to honor Graham with statue
The Browns announce they will honor Hall of Fame quarterback Otto Graham with a statue at First Energy Stadium. It will be unveiled during the team’s Fantennial Weekend in September.
Otto Graham is already in the Ring of Honor inside FirstEnergy Stadium, and now the Browns have announced plans to recognize one of their all-time greats with a statue.
Graham quarterbacked the Browns from 1946-55. He took his team to the championship game all 10 years, a feat unsurpassed in pro football history.
He led the Browns to four titles each year they were in the All America Football Conference from 1946-49 and three more titles in six NFL seasons.
The Otto Graham statue, commissioned by sculptor David L. Deming, will stand outside the southwest corner of FirstEnergy Stadium and will be unveiled Sept. 7 on opening weekend of the 2019 season to mark the 100th anniversary of the NFL.
Deming also sculpted the statue of Browns Hall of Fame running back Jim Brown, which was unveiled on the outside the southeast corner of the stadium in 2016. The Browns open the season in a home game with the Titans on Sept. 8.
“As we celebrate the NFL’s 100th season, we are honored to pay tribute to Otto Graham with this timeless sculpture that will properly recognize him not only as one of the Browns’ top players but also as one of pro football’s greatest all-time quarterbacks,” team owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam said in a statement. “This year’s Alumni Weekend will be truly special as we welcome many of our Browns Legends back home in Cleveland, as well as have the opportunity to thank and host many members of Otto Graham’s family.”
Graham, born Dec. 6, 1921, in Waukegan, Ill., passed away Dec. 17, 2003. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1965. He made the Pro Bowl all six years he was in the NFL.
Graham’s grandson, Ryan Vanname, will be among the numerous friends and relatives of Graham in attendance for the unveiling. Vanname received a sneak peak of the sculpture earlier this spring, according to the news release.
“It’s amazing,” Vanname said in a statement. “I know my family will definitely be proud of the work (Deming) did on this because right when I walked in it’s like, ‘That’s him. That’s my grandfather.’ “
Graham retired after leading the Browns to the 1954 championship, but Coach Paul Brown talked him into playing one more season. Graham went out in style. He threw two touchdowns and ran for two more in a 38-14 NFL Championship victory over the Los Angeles Rams.
The Browns also won NFL championships in 1950 with Graham at quarterback.
To put his success in perspective, the only championship the Browns won after Graham retired came in 1964 when the upset the Baltimore Colts, 27-0.
Graham threw for 23,584 yards with 174 passing touchdowns and 44 rushing touchdowns during his career. He was voted all-league in nine of his 10 seasons.