Cal State Long Beach’s Graham Is a Quarterback in Search of His Destiny

When Jeff Graham came to Cal State Long Beach four years ago, his teammates called him Richie Cunningham after the clean-cut teen-ager on TV’s “Happy Days.”

The image continues to fit Graham, who at 22 is about to begin his senior season as the 49ers’ quarterback.

Long Beach Coach Larry Reisbig calls Graham a “fine young man”; Randy Whitsitt, the assistant coach for quarterbacks and receivers, calls him a “great kid,” and offensive coordinator Dave Hoover calls him a “damn dream.”

Graham is at ease with these depictions.

“I try to lead a good life,” Graham said Saturday at the campus practice field. “I believe good things will come to those who work hard.”

Graham looks like a quarterback--wavy-haired, tall and lean, with elbows as sharp as his intelligence and shoulders strong enough to allow responsibility to rest comfortably upon them. Beneath his eyes, smudges of black ointment fight the sun’s glare. His practice jersey is torn in the back, presumably from being clawed by a defensive lineman.

“Definitely the All-American boy,” said wide receiver Derek Washington. “Right down to the Jeep he drives.” And, Washington could have added, the passion Graham has for fishing.

Between plays, Graham stands with hands on hips in a manner that leaves no doubt that he is the overseer. On the sidelines, listening to a coach, he wears the expression of one carrying the burden of the world.

His statistics are nearly as impressive as those of Todd Dillon and Doug Gaynor, his All-American predecessors and the 49er career leaders in passing yardage. He needs only 345 yards to pass Dillon and 1,434 to overtake Gaynor.

In two seasons as a starter, he has completed 56% of his passes for more than 5,360 yards and 29 touchdowns. He threw only seven interceptions last season, 10 fewer than he threw as a sophomore.

But those statistics have failed to yield significant victories. And in the last two years neither the team nor Graham has verged on greatness.

“Last year (4-7 record) was a disappointing season for me and the whole team,” Graham said. “Unfortunately, I set some high standards. If I don’t pass for 5,000 yards and 40 touchdowns, it’s disappointing. It takes a lot to satisfy me.”

And with the words that enrapture coaches, he added: “We’ve piled up the numbers, but statistics don’t mean anything. All I want to do is win. If we throw 10 times a game and win, I’ll be happy.”

But happy days have been too infrequent to suit Graham, whose countenance has been so consistently stern that Hoover recently told him: “It looks like you’re never enjoying yourself.”

“I’ve been around him for two years,” the offensive coordinator said of the 6-foot-4, 200-pound Graham, “and he’s been a curse and a blessing. He’s come to believe he should complete every pass he throws, but the great quarterbacks in the country don’t do that. He’s such a hard-working kid and a perfectionist that I think he takes a little bit of the joy of playing football from himself. If he relaxes, he’s a phenom.”

The nature of the quarterback position is why Graham plays it. “I like being in control and in a leader position,” he said. “I like the responsibility, of either getting the credit or taking all the blame.”

Hoover, who once coached Randall Cunningham as an assistant at Nevada Las Vegas, said Graham throws as well as Cunningham, now a starter for the Philadelphia Eagles.

Whitsitt, another former UNLV assistant, agrees that Graham’s intensity sometimes works against him.

“He is so competitive that he can’t accept that a mistake has been made,” Whitsitt said. “Rather than relaxing, he gets rigid.”

When that happens, Graham’s passes lack the touch required to drop into receivers’ hands.

“The biggest thing is him trying to force things because he wants to win so badly,” Whitsitt said. “He has to realize that not every play is going to be perfect. He’s probably his own worst enemy.”

With Reisbig trying to install a more balanced offensive attack, Graham’s production of yards and touchdowns dropped last year. As the season wore on and running backs became injured, however, Graham was again throwing more than 50 passes a game.

But with an out-manned offensive line to protect him, he had too little time to glimpse his inexperienced receivers and became easy prey for marauding opponents.

In the precise system of former Coach Mike Sheppard, under whom he studied his first years at Long Beach, Graham had to stay in the blocking pocket. If it broke down, he was expected to take a sack, rather than risk running.

“Now,” Hoover said, “we’re saying, ‘Make something happen, big man.’ And he’s starting to grasp that concept. He’s not going to stand back there and be a target.”

It is not only his height and arm that make Graham stand out.

“He knows he’s very good but still puts in his day’s work,” Hoover said. “A lot of kids who have his ability think the world owes them a living, and they just sit around and wait for the NFL to call. But he’s such a real, down-to-earth kid, honest and caring. He’s a damn dream.”

Graham, who has been playing football since he was 8, hopes to get a chance to play pro football next year. If not, he may consider entering law school. A criminal justice major, he is scheduled to graduate in December.

“I think my work ethic is good enough so whatever I do I’ll be successful,” he said.

After an intrasquad scrimmage Saturday, the 49er players introduced themselves to a gathering of parents and supporters.

“Jeff Graham . . . it seems like I’ve been here forever,” Graham told them.

It was in 1984 that he came as a redshirt freshman to Long Beach from Estancia High School in Costa Mesa. He has seen a large turnover of players and coaches and almost saw the university drop football because of financial problems after the ’86 season.

But he doesn’t regret having chosen a school not known as a football power.

“I had a chance to start three years and play some great competition,” he said. “Not a lot of people get that opportunity. I’ve grown to love it here.”

He accepts the small crowds before whom he has played at Veterans Stadium.

“My family and friends come out, that’s all that matters,” he said. “For what we are, our fans are enthusiastic, and we’ve got a great band.” Graham stood on the practice field--so familiar to him with its infestation of bees, flies and barking coaches--and reflected.

“It has been frustrating,” he said. “I try not to make excuses, but the bottom line is wins and losses.”

Then he talked about how maybe the 49ers could somehow have a 10-2 season.

“That would be nice,” he said as he walked across the dry grass toward his parents and girlfriend, who waited at the side of the field.