Jimmy Graham was Born November 24, 1986 and raised in Goldsboro, North Carolina.  American football tight end for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL). He played six months (13 games) of college football at the University of Miami. He was considered one of the top tight end prospects for the 2010 NFL Draft.

Childhood
Graham had a difficult upbringing, at age 11 he was placed in a group home where he was physically beaten by older children. In high school, with help from a church youth counselor who took him into her home, he improved his grades, became a basketball star in his senior year of high school and earned a basketball scholarship to the University of Miami.

High School
Averaged 18 points, 15 rebounds and eight blocks per game as a junior en route to team MVP, conference MVP and all-state honors.  He Averaged 20.7 points, 13.8 rebounds and 4.6 blocks per game as a senior.

College
Graham played basketball for the Miami Hurricanes men’s basketball team from 2005 to 2009. Graham graduated from Miami in May 2009 with a double major in marketing and management and was honored at his 2009 graduation ceremony by President Donna Shalala. Graham stayed at University of Miami to take graduate classes while playing a season of football. He played tight end and finished the season with 17 receptions for 213 yards and five touchdowns.

Professional Career
Graham was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the third round of the 2010 NFL Draft, with the 95th overall selection. He signed a four-year contract on July 28, 2010.

In 2011, his first year a starter, Graham was selected to appear in his first Pro Bowl.  That honor capped off a year that saw him set or tie many Saints records while on his way to surpassing an NFL record.  During the Saints week 17 win over the Carolina Panthers, Graham passed Kellen Winslow’s NFL record of 1,290 receiving yards in a season by a tight end. His season total of 1,310 receiving yards was the 4th most in Saints history for a receiver.   Graham led all tight ends in the NFL and set a Saints single-season record for a receiver with 99 receptions. He also tied the Saints single-season record for receiving touchdowns with 11.  The New Orleans Saints players voted tight end Jimmy Graham as the 2011 recipient of the team’s Ed Block Courage Award, which recognizes players who overcome adversity.

On March 10, 2015, Jimmy was traded to the Seattle Seahawks where he set the franchise record for the most receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns at the tight end position in only three seasons.

Graham played the 2018 and 2019 seasons with the Green Bay Packers.

Graham signed a two-year deal with the Chicago Bears in mid-March, 2020.

Graham returned to the Saints in 2023 and officially retired at the end of the 2023 season.

During his 13 year career, Graham played in 197 games, tallying 719 catches, 8,545 yards and 89 touchdowns.

More about Jimmy
He is the Principal of Mach 1 Properties, a private lending and real estate investment platform focused on asset backed lending across South Florida and the Bahamas. He is also a Partner at Flintlock Capital, a Washington, D.C. based venture capital firm investing in high growth companies and strategic opportunities.

Jimmy serves on the executive board of Anthem Private Bank & Trust, where he is part of the leadership group overseeing the bank’s current acquisition and growth strategy following a fully subscribed capital raise.

Beyond business, Jimmy is Chairman of the EAA Young Eagles program, where he is actively involved in expanding access to aviation for young people across the country. He is also the founder of the Jimmy Graham Foundation, which provides life changing aviation experiences to veterans and underserved youth.

A licensed pilot with over a decade of flight experience, Jimmy continues to integrate aviation, business, and philanthropy building platforms that create both economic opportunity and meaningful impact.