DENTON, Texas (2/25/09) - Fred Graham, North Texas’ first sports information director, died Tuesday morning following a lengthy illness. He was 74.
Graham is the only sports information director to be named to the North Texas Athletics Hall of Fame and one of the pioneers of the industry. He became the school’s first sports information director in 1959 and assumed that position until 1981 when he retired.
“The University of North Texas owes a debt of gratitude to Fred Graham for his service and dedication to Mean Green athletics,” Director of Athletics Rick Villarreal said. “He was a proud alum who spoke highly of the University whether reporting on North Texas athletics or sharing his stories about the Mean Green at numerous events throughout the Metroplex. We would also like to thank his wife Sidney who strongly supported Fred throughout his career and continues his legacy.”
Graham was very well respected among his peers and among members of the local and national media. He was instrumental in creating much of the early excitement for North Texas athletics through his effort in publicizing some of the most successful teams in school history. His wife Sidney is credited with originating the nickname Mean Green after using it spontaneously in 1967 in reference to the defensive unit of the football team that was led by All-American “Mean” Joe Greene.
"Some of the best years ever for me in the newspaper business were the late 60s and early 70s, covering the North Texas State Eagles, also known as the Mean Green,” longtime newspaper columnist Randy Galloway said. “A large part of that enjoyment involved a working relationship and friendship that evolved with Fred. The good times and laughs were also balanced out with Fred's typical honesty, and sometimes brutal evaluation of my work, such as, Galloway, your story today, it stunk.’ All these years later, I still hear that from a Jerry Jones, Mark Cuban, Tom Hicks. etc., but coming from Fred, it meant a lot more. I learned the business being around Fred. Only the memories remain, but those memories are forever good, thanks to Fred."
Graham also initiated and produced the first weekly television program highlighting North Texas athletics. His influence in that project has extended more than 40 years and can still be measured today in the “Mean Green Insider” which is currently produced each week by the athletics department. He has always been recognized as the leading historian of North Texas athletics and served on the Athletics Hall of Fame committee for several years after his retirement.
“Fred will always be considered the preeminent sports information director in North Texas history,” Associate Director of Athletics for Media Relations Eric Capper said. “He was a tremendous resource to this office and the foundation of excellence that he established for the profession is not lost on any of us that have followed in his footsteps. Young people in this business could learn a lot from his passionate approach to the job. He was the consummate professional and he will always be held in high regard.”
In the early years of sports information, Graham established the benchmark of professionalism that was emulated by many in the business. His abilities were recognized by media professionals outside the university setting while he worked in various capacities throughout the region. He had more than 20 years of service with the Dallas Cowboys, assisting with their media efforts. He was also a longtime press aid with the Cotton Bowl Classic as well as the Byron Nelson and Colonial golf tournaments. He also served as the General Manager of the Texas Sports Hall of Fame for 13 years.
The list of student-athletes that Graham worked with and helped promote their career is like reading a literal “Who’s Who” of Mean Green sports history. Joe Greene, Abner Haynes, Cedric Hardman, Steve Ramsey and Ron Shanklin are just a few North Texas Hall of Famers that earned national recognition thanks in large part to the effort of Graham. His meticulous record keeping and innate knowledge of sports was recognized when he was chosen by the NCAA as one of just 23 sports information directors to lead the effort in the first computerized reporting of statistics. The information that he provided in early North Texas media guides was considered revolutionary for the time and set the standard for many sports information departments throughout the nation.
Graham was a 1957 graduate of North Texas and was inducted to the Athletics Hall of Fame in 1996. He is still the only sports information director and one of very few non-athletes or coaches to be included in that prestigious fraternity. During the induction ceremony Graham was quoted as saying, “Everything that I have done in my professional career has been in an effort to bring positive publicity to this school that I dearly love.”
What Others say about Fred Graham
“What I liked best about Fred, besides his sense of humor, his keen insight and his kindness, was the plain truth that he could produce like no one else. You never really had to guess where you stood with Fred, or what he was really thinking, because it was apparent as soon as he began speaking. He was an original, a throwback, a blueprint pulled straight from the Old School. He will be sorely missed, but long remembered and greatly cherished.”
Tommy Bonk
North Texas Alum (’71). Former sports writer for Denton Record-Chronicle, Houston Post and Los Angeles Times. Currently writes for Golf Digest.
“Fred was a Sports Information Director in an era where personal relationships were among the most important thing that we did, and he was as good as there was at that. For him, it never was about releases or stat sheets, although he did those wellit was using every opportunity to talk with the media about North Texas, its players and its coaches. For example, he came to every media event we had around the Texas-Oklahoma game or the Cotton Bowl game in Dallas because he saw it as an opportunity to build relationships and tell his stories. Fred fit in a group of SIDs with guys such as Wilbur Evans, Jim Brock and Jones Ramsey. He knew his job and he did it well.”
Bill Little
Longtime Sports Information Director at the University of Texas and past President of College Sports Information Directors of America.
"Fred Graham believed in North Texas, believed it would become the impressive university it is today. He strove to keep Mean Green athletics a commanding presence in the state and as prominent as those schools of the old Southwest Conference. "
Bill Mercer
Member of the Texas Radio Hall of Fame. Former play-by-play voice of North Texas Athletics, Dallas Cowboys, Texas Rangers and Chicago White Sox. Author of books’ When the News Went Live’ and Play-by-Play’.
"Fred was a terrific friend and an extremely earnest publicist for North Texas during the late '50s and early '60s when the Eagles -- before becoming Mean Green -- were flying high with Abner Haynes and the likes. He loved North Texas and it showed in everything he did. His passion for the university and for sports in general came through in everything he did. He'll be greatly missed by all those who were fortunate enough to know him and work with him."
Gene Williams
Former staff writer for Denton Record-Chronicle and Louisville Courier-Journal and Louisville Times.
“Fred Graham was an outstanding sports information director who enjoyed being the front man in sports for North Texas State. I covered North Texas for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram starting in the fall of 1976 until March of 1978. Those years included the Hayden Fry era, a game at the University of Texas, playing SMU at Texas Stadium and playing as an independent and seeking membership in the Southwest Conference. The football and basketball program, coached by Bill Blakeley were some of the higher ranked in the nation. Even before getting the North Texas beat, I made an annual trip to Fouts Field to cover the regional track meet. Fred Graham was the consummate professional in every sense of the word with high school writers, visiting writers or beat writers. He anticipated the writers' needs and made sure they were able to effectively do their jobs.”
Bob Sonderegger
Former North Texas beat writer for Fort Worth Star-Telegram
"They say you always remember your first love. Fred Graham was my first....sports information director, that is. I was spoiled from that day on. It was a different era and for a young sports writer, a great SID was part best friend, part host, part mentor and fulltime information source. Fred was the best at all of those things. He was unforgettable."
Jim Reeves
Current Sports writer for Fort Worth Star-Telegram
'I had the good fortune of attending North Texas during the heyday of Fred's era as SID. He was the consummate professional, always providing the information you needed but also the background we beginners required if we were to understand fully what we were talking or writing about. He was also as enjoyable an off-the-field companion as you could ask for. I've never worked with anyone better at that particular job, nor a better representative of his school, than Fred Graham."
Dave Barnett
North Texas Alum (1978) and Current Sportscaster for ESPN and the Texas Rangers Radio Network
