Sam Graddy

Samuel Louis Graddy III (born February 10, 1964) is an American former athlete and professional football player, winner of gold medal in 4 × 100 m relay at the 1984 Summer Olympics.

Early life

Born in Gaffney, South Carolina, Sam Graddy was second in the 100 m and was a member of gold medal-winning American 4 × 100 m relay team at the 1983 Pan American Games.

Track and field

Graddy was also a standout track athlete. In 1984, he won the gold medal at the 1984 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in the 100 meters with a time of 10.28 seconds, and as a University of Tennessee at Knoxville student, he also won the 100 meters title at the 1984 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazineTemplate:Dead link</ref>

At the Los Angeles Olympics, Graddy was second behind Carl Lewis in 100 m and ran the first leg in the American 4 × 100 metres relay team, which won the gold medal with a new world record of 37.83 seconds.

Personal bests

Event	Time (seconds)	Venue	Date
60 meters	6.63	Paris, France	January 1, 1985
100 meters	10.09	Baton Rouge, Louisiana	May 12, 1984
200 meters	20.30	Knoxville, Tennessee	May 10, 1985

Professional career

After graduating from university of Tennessee, Graddy was signed by the Denver Broncos in 1987. He played in Denver during the 1987 and 1988 seasons catching one pass for 30 yards. After being out of football for the 1989 season, he signed with the Los Angeles Raiders where he played from 1990 to 1992. During his Raider career Graddy was plagued with dropped passes therefore moved down the depth chart and mainly limited to kick return duty. His career highlight was in 1991 when he caught an 80-yard touchdown pass against the Houston Oilers. Graddy ended his career with 18 catches, 477 yards, 26.5 average per reception and 3 touchdowns. He also returned 27 kicks for 458 yards.