History of Graham Harrell in Timeline
Graham Harrell is an American football coach and former quarterback, currently serving as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for Abilene Christian. He achieved prominence as a college football player for Texas Tech from 2004-2008, setting numerous records as a prolific passer under head coach Mike Leach's 'Air Raid' offense. His success at Texas Tech led to his induction into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2025. After a brief professional playing career, he transitioned to coaching, holding various offensive coordinator positions at different universities before landing at Abilene Christian.
May 22, 1985: Graham Harrell Born
On May 22, 1985, Graham Stanton Harrell was born. He is an American football coach and former quarterback.
1990: Father coached at Reagan County
From 1990 to 1993, Graham Harrell's father, Sam Harrell, coached at Reagan County.
1993: Father coached at Reagan County
From 1990 to 1993, Graham Harrell's father, Sam Harrell, coached at Reagan County.
1994: Father coached at Ennis
From 1994 to 2009, Graham Harrell's father, Sam Harrell, coached at Ennis High School.
2000: Career Pass Completions
From 2000 to 2003, Graham Harrell had 805 career pass completions, which ranked second.
2000: Brother won State Championship
In 2000, Graham Harrell's older brother, Zac, was a receiver on Ennis High's State Championship team.
2001: State Class 4A Title
In 2001, as a sophomore, Graham Harrell led the Ennis Lions to a state Class 4A title.
2003: Career Pass Completions
From 2000 to 2003, Graham Harrell had 805 career pass completions, which ranked second.
2004: Oil Bowl Offensive MVP
In 2004, Graham Harrell played in the Oil Bowl and was awarded the offensive MVP.
2004: Redshirted at Texas Tech
In 2004, Graham Harrell redshirted his first season at Texas Tech University.
2005: Father was highest paid high school coach
As of the 2005-06 academic year, Graham Harrell's father, Sam Harrell, was the highest-paid high school coach in Texas.
2005: Backup Quarterback
In 2005, Graham Harrell served as the backup quarterback at Texas Tech, behind Cody Hodges.
2006: Starting Quarterback
In 2006, Graham Harrell started every game of the season as quarterback. Despite being benched in some games due to poor performance, he rebounded with strong performances, including throwing for 6 touchdowns against Iowa State Cyclones, and 519 yards against the Texas Longhorns.
2006: Insight Bowl Comeback
In 2006, at the Insight Bowl, Graham Harrell led a historic comeback victory against the Minnesota Golden Gophers, overcoming a 31-point deficit to win 44-41 in overtime. Harrell was named the offensive MVP.
2007: Continued Success
In 2007, Graham Harrell continued his success, aided by Michael Crabtree, Danny Amendola and Eric Morris. He threw for 5 touchdowns and 646 yards against Oklahoma State Cowboys and was named AT&T Player of the Week. He finished the season with a 71.8% completion percentage, 5,705 yards and 48 touchdowns and was awarded the Sammy Baugh Trophy. The team finished the season ranked #22 after winning the Gator Bowl and Harrell being named MVP.
October 25, 2008: Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week
On October 25, 2008, following a victory over #18 Kansas, Graham Harrell was named Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week. Teammate Matt Williams was named the Special Teams Player of the Week.
November 22, 2008: Second in Career Passing Yardage
On November 22, 2008, Graham Harrell surpassed Ty Detmer to move into second place for career passing yardage.
December 2, 2008: Walter Camp Award Finalist
On December 2, 2008, Graham Harrell and teammate Michael Crabtree were named as Walter Camp Award finalists.
December 4, 2008: AFCA Coaches' All-American Team
On December 4, 2008, Graham Harrell was named on the American Football Coaches Association's 2008 AFCA Coaches' All-American Team.
2008: Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award
In 2008, Graham Harrell received the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award.
2008: All-American and Heisman Finalist
In 2008, Graham Harrell was named a first-team All-American quarterback and a Heisman Trophy finalist. He also set school, conference, and national records for passing yards, attempts, completions, and touchdown passes.
2008: Heisman Hopeful
In 2008, before his senior season, Graham Harrell was listed by CBS Sports as a Heisman hopeful. He was also a candidate for the Unitas Award and appeared on the Davey O'Brien Award watch list. Harrell was also featured on the cover of Dave Campbell's Texas Football.
January 2, 2009: Final Collegiate Game
On January 2, 2009, Graham Harrell played his final collegiate game, a loss to Ole Miss in the 2009 AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic. He concluded his college career with an NCAA record of 134 passing touchdowns and equaled the record of 147 career touchdowns passing, rushing, and receiving. He also had 5,111 passing yards in the season, becoming the first NCAA player to post multiple 5,000-yard passing seasons.
May 2009: Rookie Camp with Browns
In May 2009, Graham Harrell participated in rookie camp for the Cleveland Browns but was not signed.
July 20, 2009: Signed with Saskatchewan Roughriders
On July 20, 2009, Graham Harrell signed with the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League.
2009: Father coached at Ennis
From 1994 to 2009, Graham Harrell's father, Sam Harrell, coached at Ennis High School.
2009: Career in CFL/NFL Begins
In 2009, Graham Harrell began his professional football career, playing in both the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the National Football League (NFL).
April 22, 2010: Released by Roughriders
On April 22, 2010, Graham Harrell was released by the Saskatchewan Roughriders to pursue NFL options.
May 19, 2010: Signed with Green Bay Packers
On May 19, 2010, Graham Harrell signed with the Green Bay Packers.
December 2010: Father retired from coaching
In December 2010, Graham Harrell's father, Sam Harrell, retired from coaching duties due to health problems.
2010: Signed by Green Bay Packers and Super Bowl XLV Win
In 2010, Graham Harrell joined the NFL, signing with the Green Bay Packers and was part of the Super Bowl XLV winning team, defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers.
September 3, 2011: Released by Packers
On September 3, 2011, the Green Bay Packers released Graham Harrell.
September 4, 2011: Re-signed to Practice Squad
On September 4, 2011, Graham Harrell was re-signed to the Green Bay Packers' practice squad.
December 7, 2011: Re-signed to Active Roster
On December 7, 2011, Graham Harrell was signed again to the active roster of the Green Bay Packers.
2011: Brother graduates from ACU
In 2011, Graham Harrell's younger brother, Clark Harrell, graduated from Abilene Christian University after transferring from Tulsa.
March 2012: Married Brittney Tomlinson
In March 2012, Graham Harrell married Brittney Tomlinson.
September 30, 2012: First Game for Green Bay
On September 30, 2012, Graham Harrell played in his first game for the Green Bay Packers, but fumbled a handoff. During the 2012 season, he hosted a weekly sports talk show called the "Witt Ford Red Zone with Graham Harrell" on 104.1 FM WRLU.
August 24, 2013: Reported Release by Packers
On August 24, 2013, it was reported that Green Bay would release Graham Harrell, as Vince Young outplayed Harrell in the pre-season.
August 28, 2013: Signed by New York Jets
On August 28, 2013, Graham Harrell signed with the New York Jets.
September 2, 2013: Released by New York Jets
On September 2, 2013, Graham Harrell was released by the New York Jets after they signed Brady Quinn.
2013: End of CFL/NFL Playing Career
In 2013, Graham Harrell's career in the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the National Football League (NFL) came to an end.
April 2014: Joined Washington State coaching staff
In April 2014, Graham Harrell joined the coaching staff at Washington State as an offensive analyst, reuniting him with his college coach Mike Leach.
February 2015: Named outside receivers coach at Washington State
In February 2015, Graham Harrell was named Washington State's outside receivers coach, replacing Dennis Simmons.
December 2015: Named offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at North Texas
In December 2015, Graham Harrell was named the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at the University of North Texas (UNT).
2015: Birth of son, Herschel Hawk
In 2015, Graham Harrell and his wife welcomed their son, Herschel Hawk.
2015: Inherited UNT offense
In 2015, Graham Harrell inherited an offense at UNT that ranked in the bottom 25 of the country in passing, total yards, and points.
2016: Offensive Coordinator at North Texas
In 2016, Graham Harrell became the offensive coordinator for the North Texas Mean Green.
2017: Improved UNT offense
By 2017, Graham Harrell improved the UNT offense such that it was ranked in the top 26 nationally in passing, total yards, and points.
December 7, 2018: UNC-Chapel Hill claim
On December 7, 2018, Inside Carolina initially reported that Graham Harrell had accepted the role of offensive coordinator at the University of North Carolina, but later retracted the claim.
2018: Leaves North Texas
In 2018, Graham Harrell concluded his time as the offensive coordinator for the North Texas Mean Green.
2018: UNT offense ranked in the top 26 nationally
In 2018, Graham Harrell's offenses at UNT continued to be ranked in the top 26 nationally in passing, total yards, and points.
January 29, 2019: Hired as offensive coordinator at USC
On January 29, 2019, Graham Harrell was hired as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at the University of Southern California (USC).
2019: Offensive Coordinator at USC
In 2019, Graham Harrell became the offensive coordinator for the USC Trojans.
2021: Leaves USC Trojans
In 2021, Graham Harrell's tenure as the offensive coordinator for the USC Trojans came to an end.
January 10, 2022: Hired as offensive coordinator at West Virginia University
On January 10, 2022, Graham Harrell was hired as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at West Virginia University.
December 20, 2022: Named offensive coordinator for Purdue Boilermakers
On December 20, 2022, Graham Harrell was named the offensive coordinator for the Purdue Boilermakers.
2022: Offensive Coordinator at West Virginia
In 2022, Graham Harrell served as the offensive coordinator for the West Virginia Mountaineers.
2023: Offensive Coordinator at Purdue
In 2023, Graham Harrell became the offensive coordinator for the Purdue Boilermakers.
2024: Fired from Purdue Boilermakers
In 2024, Graham Harrell was fired from his position as offensive coordinator after the team started the season with a 1-3 record, averaging only 12.7 points per game during their three losses.
January 28, 2025: Named associate head coach at Abilene Christian
On January 28, 2025, Graham Harrell was named the associate head coach, offensive coordinator, and quarterbacks coach for the Abilene Christian Wildcats.
2025: College Football Hall of Fame Induction
In 2025, Graham Harrell is scheduled to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
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