Graham Given Contract Extension

Jan. 9, 2007

After leading the Rice Owls to their first bowl berth in 45 years, head football coach Todd Graham has received a contract extension from the school that runs through the 2012 season, Rice Athletic Director Chris Del Conte announced on Tuesday.

"Todd Graham never wavered in his belief that the Rice Owls would be winners in 2006," Del Conte said. "He told the team the first time they met that they were going to win, and win now. The fact that this team never gave up and won so many close games is as emphatic a statement as you can make about Todd's impact on this group of young men," he noted.

"We know we have the right man for the job at Rice and with this extension, we have made a firm commitment to him and his vision for Rice Football in the future, "Del Conte stated.

"I am very grateful to Rice University for the opportunity to coach this team and for the commitment the University has made to me and to my staff as look forward to build on the efforts of our first season," Graham said.

Graham inherited a team that had won just once in 11 games in 2005 and faced an opening schedule that featured the likes of Houston, UCLA, Texas and Florida State in their first four games while being asked to embrace a radically different approach on both offense and defense.

In addition, Graham and staff faced the difficult task of guiding the team through the difficult aftermath of the death of freshman Dale Lloyd in the days following the game with Florida State. After agreeing to play at Army the following week, Graham and his Owls dedicated the remainder of the 2006 season to Lloyd memory and went on to win seven of their last eight games.

The Owls run to their first bowl berth since the 1961 Bluebonnet Bowl was punctuated by a series of remarkable finishes, including winning three times on the last play of the game.

The streak began when Chase Clement hit Jarett Dillard with a nine-yard scoring pass with three seconds left to beat UAB 34-33. Four weeks later, the pair connected on a 25-yard scoring toss at the end of the second overtime to beat defending C-USA champion Tulsa 41-38 at Tulsa. The following week, true freshman Clark Fangmeier kicked a 40-yard field goal with three seconds left to beat East Carolina 18-17.

One week later, the Owls came back from another deficit and defeated SMU 31-27 to earn a berth in the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl against Troy.

Graham's decision to move the Owls attack to a more pass-oriented attack spurred the development of sophomore Jarett Dillard into an All-American caliber wide receiver and a finalist for the 2006 Biletnikoff Award. Dillard became the first Owl to earn All American honors on the field since 1997 and the first Owls' receiver to earn such honors since 1958.