Bonnie Lee Graham (August 24, 1914 – October 13, 2001) was an American college

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player and coach at the

University of Mississippi The University of Mississippi (byname Ole Miss) is a public research university that is located adjacent to Oxford, Mississippi, and has a medical center in Jackson. It is Mississippi's oldest public university and its largest by enrollment. ...

(Ole Miss). Graham was an All-American center at the school in 1938 and was head coach from 1949 to 1962. "Country" Graham came to Ole Miss from Baldwyn High School, which he led the school to the 1932 Mississippi state title. Graham became Ole Miss' first All-American in basketball in 1938 as he was a first-team pick of the

Helms Athletic Foundation The Helms Athletic Foundation, founded in 1936, was a Los Angeles-based organization dedicated to the promotion of athletics and sportsmanship. Paul H. Helms was the organization's founder and benefactor, funding the foundation via his ownership ...

squad. He pioneered the one-handed hook shot, which was known as ‘Country’s Fade-Away” and using this signature move went on to lead Ole Miss and the

Southeastern Conference The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is an American college athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central and Southeastern United States. Its fourteen members include the flagship public universities of ...

in scoring as a senior in 1937–38. He also played

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

at the school during this time. After the close of his college athletic career, Graham coached both basketball and football at Jones County Junior College in Ellisville, Mississippi, winning state junior college titles in both sports. In 1949, he was named head coach at his alma mater. He coached 13 seasons, compiling a record of 144–168. His 144 victories were the most in school history until 2013 when

Andy Kennedy Andy Kennedy (born March 13, 1968) is an American college basketball coach who is the head coach of the UAB Blazers men's basketball team. He was head men's basketball coach at the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) from 2006 to 2018. Kennedy ...

broke the mark. He also was an assistant football coach for the Rebels from 1952 to 1960. Graham died on October 13, 2001 in Oxford, Mississippi at the age of 87.

Head coaching record

References

External links

Mississippi Sports HOF bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Graham, B. L. 1914 births 2001 deaths All-American college men's basketball players American men's basketball players Basketball coaches from Mississippi Basketball players from Mississippi Centers (basketball) College men's basketball head coaches in the United States Jones County Bobcats football coaches Junior college men's basketball coaches in the United States Ole Miss Rebels football coaches Ole Miss Rebels football players Ole Miss Rebels men's basketball coaches Ole Miss Rebels men's basketball players Players of American football from Mississippi