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On Thursday December 7, 2023, Antonio Graham was announced as Owasso High School football team’s newest head coach in a press conference.
The news came immediately after his predecessor, coach Bill Blankenship, announced his retirement after coaching for 34 years.
Blankenship coached the Owasso Rams for seven years, where he led the team to six semi-final appearances and three state championships. He won two of them in 2017 and 2019.
Historic Hire but No Pressure
Coach Graham’s hire is a historic one; he is the first Black head coach of Owasso’s football team in school history, as well as the first Black head coach for 6A-1 teams in the Tulsa area.
Graham served as an assistant coach for the Rams on both sides of the ball before being promoted to defensive coordinator in 2020.
Coaching at a high-level school can bring about a lot of pressure, but Graham doesn’t view his new role as pressure.
“What’s pressure is growing up in poverty as a young man and making it and trying to figure out your next meal,” he said.
Graham mentioned that he is the oldest of six and the eldest of 36 grandchildren. Being an example is something he’s had to do his whole life.
“What’s pressure is being a minority and breaking barriers and doing the right thing…you can’t afford to make a wrong mistake. That’s pressure. Pressure is nothing because I’ve already been through all that in life.”
The Journey to Head Coach
Coach Graham, originally from Alabama, moved to Tulsa as a teenager and played linebacker for four years under Coach Blankenship at Union high school. At Union he was part of two state championship teams in 2002 and 2004. He went on the play at Pittsburg State University.
In 2009, coach Graham received his first high school coaching opportunity at Union under coach Kirk Fridrich.
Between 2010 and 2016, coach Graham helped Union win three state championships. He worked under coach Blankenship for three years at the University of Tulsa before becoming an assistant coach at Owasso in 2017.
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Relationships Matter for new Owasso Coach
Graham spoke about relationships and the impact Coach Blankenship has had on his life since he was a teenager.
“Relationships are everything, honestly,” he told reporters. “He [Coach Blankenship] has been a mentor of mine since I was 16 years old, and he has been someone who has impacted my life. I try to lead the right way and model a lot that he has taught me in the past.”
Coach Graham received suggestions to coach at other schools, but he remained steadfast to in favor of Owasso.
“Why don’t you go to this school?” someone suggested. “Don’t push me to that school because there may be those type of population of kids there. I want the best job possible… and I believe this is one of the best jobs in the state,” he told reporters.
Players Are Bought in with Owasso Coach Graham
The relationships Coach Graham built at Owasso gives current players confidence in him.
“We’re going to go a long way with him,” Blake Cherry, a left tackle, told The Black Wall Street Times. “We had a great run with Coach B, and I think we’ll have a great run with Coach Graham too.”
Jackson Duffield, Jr., a tight end, spoke to the impact Coach Graham has had on him as a player.
“He has always helped me out trying to go to camps and get recruited. He’s been a real big impact on my junior season,” he said.
Tariek Johnson said Coach Graham supported him in his transition from running back to linebacker after tearing his meniscus his sophomore year.
The Man For The Job
Coach Blankenship spoke to Coach Graham’s growth over his seven years as an assistant coach, which he said makes Graham equipped for the head coach position.
“Now I’ve got to watch this young man grow as a man, as a coach and as a leader. His integrity, selfless service and heart for kids, coupled with his depth of football knowledge, is exactly why he’s the right man for this job.”
Coach Graham knows the importance of consistency.
“I can talk and say I am going to do this, but my actions speak louder than words,” he told The Black Wall Street Times. “My actions are big to me, and I am a man of integrity, if I tell you I am going to be consistent in something, then I am going to be it.”
Coach Graham told reporters that his coaching opportunity is a dream come true, and he wants young students to know that anything is truly possible.
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