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 (appro ...

player and coach at the

University of Mississippi The University of Mississippi (Epithet, byname Ole Miss) is a Public university, public research university in University, near Oxford, Mississippi, United States, with a University of Mississippi Medical Center, medical center in Jackson, Miss ...

(Ole Miss). Graham was an

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...

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 owner ...

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 a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central United States, South Central and Southeastern United States. Its 16 members in ...

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

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

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 Ellisville is a town in and the first county seat of Jones County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 4,448 at the time of the 2010 census, up from 3,465 at the 2000 census. The Jones County Courthouse is located here, as is much of ...

, 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 Oxford is the List of municipalities in Mississippi, 14th most populous city in Mississippi, United States, and the county seat of Lafayette County, Mississippi, Lafayette County, southeast of Memphis, Tennessee, Memphis. A college town, Oxford ...

, at the age of 87.

Head coaching record

College basketball

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Graham, B. L. 1914 births 2001 deaths 20th-century American sportsmen All-American college men's basketball players American men's basketball players Basketball coaches from Mississippi Basketball players from Mississippi Centers (basketball) Coaches of American football from Mississippi College men's basketball head coaches in the United States Jones County Bobcats football coaches Jones County Bobcats men's basketball coaches Ole Miss Rebels football coaches Ole Miss Rebels football players Ole Miss Rebels men's basketball coaches Ole Miss Rebels men's basketball players People from Baldwyn, Mississippi Players of American football from Mississippi