Hall of Fame
Even though 36 seasons have passed, goalkeeper Paul Graham still holds two NU Men's Soccer Records. He's tied for most shutouts in a career at 10 (1968-69) and he has the fewest goals allowed in a season with five (1968). Graham says the ironic thing is that while he was four-year soccer player, he only spent his junior and senior years in the net. " My roommate got into academic difficulty and so Coach (Roland) Lyford asked me to take over", recalls Graham, who recorded the shutouts against Lowell Tech,AIC,Hartford, Holy Cross, and Middlebury en route to the 1968 New England intercollegiate Soccer League Championship. "I spent many, many hours before practice working on technique . It also helped to have an outstanding defense." In 1968 Norwich Men's Soccer team was inducted into NU Athletic Hall of Fame in 1999. Graham shares the 10 shutouts-in-career record with Mike McMillan, who also played in the same era. Graham's second five shutouts were against AIC, St.Michael's,Coast Guard,Hartford, and Brandeis during the 1969 seasons in which the Cadets finished 7-3. "I'm very proud to still be in the record book 36 years later especially because records get broken said, said Graham. "The way soccer has improved and seeing Norwich do so well these past few seasons, I feel really proud." Graham also played varsity basketball at NU for one year before getting hurt; however, his athletic abilities went far beyond the soccer field and basketball court. As a 1st Lieutenant in the corps od cadets, Graham was the cadet in charge of intramural activities, which he really enjoyed. Graham graduated with a degree in Physical Education and went on to teach for six years before leaving to help run a family business. He was also in National Guard for a decade starting in intelligence and finishing ep in the Corps of Engineers. Graham remains very involved with soccer, as he is the girl's soccer coach at his alma mater, Belmont High School in trica are the Belmont, Massachusetts, and he's certified official. Paul and his wife Patrica are the parents of two boys and girls. The couple also have two grandsons and one granddaughter. They enjoy spending summer of Cape Cod.
