 Graham at the2014 Sun Bowl | |
| Current position | |
|---|---|
| Title | Offensive analyst |
| Team | TCU |
| Conference | Big 12 |
| Biographical details | |
| Born | (1964-12-05)December 5, 1964 (age 60) Mesquite, Texas, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1983–1986 | East Central |
| Position | Defensive back |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1988–1990 | Poteet HS (TX) (assistant) |
| 1991–1993 | East Central (DC) |
| 1994 | Carl Albert HS (OK) |
| 1995–2000 | Allen HS (TX) |
| 2001 | West Virginia (LB/RC) |
| 2002 | West Virginia (co-DC/S/RC) |
| 2003–2005 | Tulsa (AHC/DC/DB) |
| 2006 | Rice |
| 2007–2010 | Tulsa |
| 2011 | Pittsburgh |
| 2012–2017 | Arizona State |
| 2020–2021 | Hawaii |
| 2024–present | TCU (OA) |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 106–72 (college) |
| Bowls | 6–4 |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| Pac-12 South Division (2013) 3C-USA West Division (2007–2008, 2010) | |
| Awards | |
| Pac-12 Coach of the Year (2013) C-USA Coach of the Year (2006) | |
Michael Todd Graham (born December 5, 1964) is an Americancollege football coach and former player who serves as an offensive analyst forTCU. He was most recently the head football coach at theUniversity of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.
Graham was an all-district defensive back atNorth Mesquite High School, from which he graduated in 1983. He then went on to play atEast Central University inAda, Oklahoma, where he was a two-time All-NAIA defensive back. After graduation from East Central, Graham briefly signed with theArizona Cardinals of theNFL in 1987.[1]
Graham began his coaching career in 1988 as an assistant atPoteet High School in his hometown of Mesquite. He later held head coaching positions atCarl Albert High School inMidwest City, Oklahoma, andAllen High School inAllen, Texas before becoming linebackers coach underRich Rodriguez atWest Virginia University in 2001.[2] The following season Graham was assigned to defensive co-coordinator.
In 2003, he was hired bySteve Kragthorpe as the defensive coordinator at Tulsa, where he helped guide the Golden Hurricane to two bowl games in three seasons. Graham built one of the best defensive units inConference USA and the nation before leaving the position following his third year at Tulsa for his first head coaching stint.
Graham was hired as the head coach at Rice on January 1, 2006.[3] This followed the resignation of long-time coachKen Hatfield after the Owls had finished 1–10 in 2005. At Rice, athletic director Chris Del Conte helped Graham raise $5.5 million for renovatingRice Stadium and replacing the datedAstroTurf withFieldTurf. He hired formerUniversity of Texas quarterbackMajor Applewhite as his offensive coordinator,[4] replacing thetriple option offense Hatfield had been running with a more balanced attack. Behind quarterback Chase Clement and All-American receiverJarett Dillard, Rice pulled off the biggest turnaround of the 2006 season, finishing 7–5 and earning an invitation to theNew Orleans Bowl, the school's first bowl game since 1961.[3] Graham was namedConference USA Coach of the Year, and was rewarded by the Rice administration with the offer of a significant pay raise and contract extension.[5] After signing this extension, Graham left for Tulsa only a few days later. Graham received much criticism for this move. On November 24, 2007, when Tulsa played Rice atRice Stadium, the Rice UniversityMarching Owl Band presented ahalftime show named "Todd Graham's Inferno"[6] (based on Dante's "The Divine Comedy"), which concluded with the band announcer calling Graham "a douchebag". This resulted in a formal protest toConference USA by Tulsa's athletic department. Chuck Throckmorton, the marching band's director, later apologized for offending anyone, but not for the show. Tulsa won the game 48–43.[7][8] Following Graham's exodus, Rice hiredDavid Bailiff, who led Rice to its2008 Texas Bowl, and its2012 Armed Forces Bowl and the 2013 Conference USA title.
When the Tulsa head coaching position was vacant following the 2002 season, Graham sent in his application. It was not until five years later that Graham took over the reins as the Golden Hurricane head coach. After serving three years as Tulsa defensive coordinator and one year as Rice head coach, Graham was introduced as Tulsa's 27th head football coach on January 12, 2007.[9]
For his offensive coordinators, Graham turned to his friend,Gus Malzahn, then offensive coordinator at theUniversity of Arkansas, andHerb Hand, tight ends coach atWest Virginia University.[10][11] He also hired former Golden Hurricane quarterback and coach at Tulsa'sUnion High School,Bill Blankenship as wide receivers coach.
With an annual salary of $1.1 million Graham was the second-highest-paid coach inConference USA, behind SMU'sJune Jones in 2010.
In his final season at Tulsa, the team reached a 10–3 record that included a 28–27 upset atNotre Dame and 62–35 win over No. 24Hawaii in the2010 Hawaii Bowl.[12]
Graham was announced as Pitt's head coach on January 10, 2011.[12][13] He was hired afterMichael Haywood, the initial choice to replace sixth-year coachDave Wannstedt, was fired after a domestic dispute.
Graham subsequently led the team to a disappointing 6–6 regular season later that fall. Less than one year from his hiring, on December 13, Graham informed athletic directorSteve Pederson that he had discussed a head coaching opportunity at Arizona State.[14] After being informed he did not have permission to talk to the school about the job and refusing conversations with Pederson and another administrator, Graham resigned and subsequently accepted the head coaching job at Arizona State. Reportedly, Graham's wife had never been happy in Pittsburgh in the first place and wanted to move closer to her family.[15] Graham informed the Pitt players of his departure the following day by having a text message forwarded to the team by director of football operations Blair Philbrick.[16] Two weeks prior to leaving Pitt, Graham referred to assistant coaches who left to join the staff ofRich Rodriguez at Arizona as "nothing but mercenaries."[17] In later interviews, Graham claimed those comments were taken out of context. He said he wasn't referring to the coaches who left Pittsburgh and that he was having a conversation with reporters generally about college football coaching and said, "A lot of times coaches jump around everywhere, they're like mercenaries."[18]
The style in which Graham left, in combination with his quick departures from other universities, led to criticism of Graham in both local and national media.[19][20][21][22][23] University of Pittsburgh players also openly criticized Graham for his quick departure. Defensive tackleChas Alecxih said most players were "shocked and appalled." Wide receiverDevin Street's comments were a little more severe stating, "It's been all a lie this whole time. Everything he told us has been a lie." Another one of Graham's players at the time, senior offensive tackleLucas Nix, stated that he felt Graham's exiting text message wasn't worthy of the trust the team had put into Graham and his program. "We put our trust in him, and all he could do was send us a text message," Nix said.[24]
Graham was announced as Arizona State University's head coach on December 14, 2011.[25] In his first season at Arizona State, the Sun Devils went 8–5, securing their first winning season since 2007. With a win in theKraft Fight Hunger Bowl against theNavy Midshipmen, the 2012 Sun Devils won the final three games of the season for the first time since 1978.[26] ESPN's Pac-12 Blog writer Ted Miller called Graham's first season at Arizona State an "unquestioned success."[27] In 2013, Graham continued to build positive momentum and led ASU to win the Pac-12 South after defeatingUCLA and rivalUniversity of Arizona. ASU finished the season 10–4 and ranked #21 in the AP Poll and #20 in the Coach's Poll.[28] For his efforts in leading ASU to a Pac-12 South championship, Graham received the 2013 Pac-12 Coach of the Year Award. In 2014, ASU finished with yet another 10-win season by going 10–3 and ranking #12 in the final AP Poll and #14 in the final Coaches Poll. The season was capped off with Graham leading the Sun Devils to victory overDuke University in theSun Bowl.[29]
The 2015 season saw a big drop off for the program as the Sun Devils finished a disappointing 6–7 with a 43–42 loss to theWest Virginia Mountaineers in theCactus Bowl. The trend continued into the next two seasons. The Sun Devils finished 2016 on a 6-game losing streak, which culminated in a 5–7 record. 2017 would be Graham's final season. The team improved only slightly, finishing 7–6. Graham and Arizona State agreed to part ways after winning the last regular-season game of the year against rivalArizona, and retaining theTerritorial Cup. The Sun Bowl againstNorth Carolina State would be his last game as Arizona State head coach. The result was a 52–31 loss to the Wolfpack.
On January 21, 2020, Graham was hired by theUniversity of Hawaii as the 24th head football coach in the school's history after being away from college football for two years.[30]
Graham's first season was impacted by theCOVID-19 pandemic which saw spring football canceled just three days before it began, and the2020 season also started late with a shortened training camp. Nevertheless, Graham's team slowly gelled together after a slow start, notably pulling off a huge upset over previously undefeated Nevada. Graham also became the first Hawaii coach sinceBob Wagner in 1987 to win his debut, doing so with a win over rival Fresno State. The win eventually secured a spot in theNew Mexico Bowl, played in Frisco, Texas, his 11th bowl appearance in 13 seasons as a head coach. Hawaii eventually upsetDana Holgorsen'sHouston Cougars, 28–14, securing his 100th win as a head coach, his sixth bowl victory, and his first victory over Holgorsen.
Graham's second season started much like his first: a slow start saw only one win over FCS school Portland State, and two losses to Pac-12 schools UCLA and Oregon State, with the defense allowing over 30 points in each game. However, over the next three games, Hawaii's defense only gave up an average of 21 points; despite losing to defending Mountain West champion San Jose State on the final play of a 17–13 defeat, the Rainbow Warriors rebounded with a dominant performance against former WAC foe New Mexico State, winning 41–21. The next week saw Graham nab a second signature win on homecoming night, a 27–24 upset of 18th-ranked Fresno State, marking the third time Hawaii had beaten a ranked Bulldogs team, and the first win over a ranked team since 2010. It additionally was the first home win over the Bulldogs for the first time since 2007, ending a six-game losing streak. Despite finishing with a 6–7 record, the team reclaimed thePaniolo Trophy, doing so with a 38–14 victory over Wyoming, the team's first win in Laramie since 1991. It also secured a second consecutive postseason appearance in theHawaii Bowl, and a program-record fourth straight bowl game againstMemphis as a conditionally-eligible team after the NCAA added an extra bowl game to accommodate all deserving teams. Graham opted out of the game a day before it was to be played, alleging COVID-19 concerns.
After the 2021 season, multiple Hawaii players alleged mistreatment by Graham. One player said, "Graham has killed our love and passion of football."[31] This led to numerous Hawaii players entering the transfer portal, including his son, Michael Graham.[32] The curiosity over the transfers even led to a meeting by the Hawaii State Senate inquiring about the issue on January 7, 2022.[33] The meeting included a group of players and family testifying, with numerous accounts criticizing Graham and his conduct. The allegations included such enormities as him saying those playing theukulele were "fucking annoying", describing players as "porch monkeys" and "pineapple pickers", and calling Hawaii a "third world country" for not havingDr Pepper in the vending machines.[34][35]
Graham resigned from Hawaii on January 14, 2022, having completed his second year of a five-year contract and an 11–11 record amidst controversy of mistreatment of players. In a statement, Graham said his resignation was "what [was] best" for himself, his family, and his health.[36]
In July 2024, TCU coachSonny Dykes added Graham as an analyst. He said Graham would work with the Horned Frogs offense because of his defensive background[37]
Graham and his current wife, Heather Graham, were married in 2024. Graham and his ex-wife, Penni Graham, share one child: Michael.Haylee, Hank (Tommy Hank) and Bo (Michael Brandon) are from two previous marriages. Bo has served as an assistant coach under Graham atRice,Tulsa,Pitt,Arizona State, andHawaii.
During his two-year hiatus from coaching from 2018 to 2019, Graham visited numerous NFL and NCAA coaches, includingBill Belichick andMike Norvell, to keep up to date with the game.[38]
In September 2025, Graham was reportedly interested in seeking the Republican nomination forArizona's 1st congressional district in the2026 elections. Graham reportedly still maintains a residence in Arizona.[39]
Head coaches Graham served under:
Assistant coaches under Graham who became college head coaches:
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | Coaches# | AP° | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rice Owls(Conference USA)(2006) | |||||||||
| 2006 | Rice | 7–6 | 6–2 | 2nd(West) | LNew Orleans | ||||
| Rice: | 7–6 | 6–2 | |||||||
| Tulsa Golden Hurricane(Conference USA)(2007–2010) | |||||||||
| 2007 | Tulsa | 10–4 | 6–3 | 1st(West) | WGMAC | ||||
| 2008 | Tulsa | 11–3 | 7–2 | T–1st(West) | WGMAC | ||||
| 2009 | Tulsa | 5–7 | 3–5 | 3rd(West) | |||||
| 2010 | Tulsa | 10–3 | 6–2 | T–1st(West) | WHawaii | 24 | |||
| Tulsa: | 36–17 | 22–12 | |||||||
| Pittsburgh Panthers(Big East Conference)(2011) | |||||||||
| 2011 | Pittsburgh | 6–6 | 4–3 | T–4th | BBVA CompassA | ||||
| Pittsburgh: | 6–6 | 4–3 | |||||||
| Arizona State Sun Devils(Pac-12 Conference)(2012–2017) | |||||||||
| 2012 | Arizona State | 8–5 | 5–4 | T–2nd(South) | WFight Hunger | ||||
| 2013 | Arizona State | 10–4 | 8–1 | 1st(South) | LHoliday | 20 | 21 | ||
| 2014 | Arizona State | 10–3 | 6–3 | T–2nd(South) | WSun | 14 | 12 | ||
| 2015 | Arizona State | 6–7 | 4–5 | 4th(South) | LCactus | ||||
| 2016 | Arizona State | 5–7 | 2–7 | T–4th(South) | |||||
| 2017 | Arizona State | 7–6 | 6–3 | 2nd(South) | LSun | ||||
| Arizona State: | 46–32 | 31–23 | |||||||
| Hawaii Rainbow Warriors(Mountain West Conference)(2020–2021) | |||||||||
| 2020 | Hawaii | 5–4 | 4–4 | 5th | WNew Mexico | ||||
| 2021 | Hawaii | 6–7 | 3–5 | T-4th(West) | CBHawaii | ||||
| Hawaii: | 11–11 | 7–9 | |||||||
| Total: | 106–72 | ||||||||
| National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth | |||||||||
| |||||||||