Football: two-time NCIC All-Conference
Career: rushed for 1734 yards and 23 TDs
2004: 5 TDs vs. Metamora
Two-time SHS tackles leader with 43 and 58
IHSFCA All-State 2005
SVM All-Area 2004, 2005
2005: Quad City Times All-Area
2005: 9-0 regular season (defeated two top-ranked teams)
Basketball: 8+ ppg his senior year (Career High:19)
4x conference / 2x national champion at UW-Whitewater
Graham Hall is a 2006 graduate of Sterling High School. He earned a total of five varsity letters, participating in football, basketball, and track.
In basketball, Graham's teams earned a total record of 29-29. In the 2004-2005 season, his junior year, Graham contributed off the bench for a Sterling team that finished the season 18-11, including a notable second-place finish in the DeKalb Holiday Tournament, where Sterling reached the championship game for the first time since 1980.
As a senior captain and a starter, the Golden Warriors finished with an 11-18 record. Graham's scoring average increased to over eight points per game, and he recorded a career-high of 19 against Morrison.
Graham began his varsity football career by delivering one of the most impressive single-game rushing performances in Sterling history. He rushed for 202 yards and tied a school record by scoring all five of Sterling's touchdowns. Although the team lost the season opener to state-ranked Metamora 38-32, Graham's remarkable performance would foreshadow his hall of fame career.
The 2004 football team finished the season with a record of 7-3. Graham contributed eight touchdowns and 900 rushing yards offensively, and led the team with 43 tackles (24 solo) on defense. At the conclusion of the season, Graham earned NCIC All-Conference and Daily Gazette All-Area honors.
As a senior, Graham captained one of the most formidable football teams in Sterling High School history. To open the season, the 2005 football team traveled downstate for a rematch against the preseason number one team in Class 5A, Metamora.
After the Golden Warriors fell behind 7-0 in the first quarter, Graham responded by running for a 52-yard touchdown of his own. In the second half, he contributed another score to help propel the Golden Warriors to a 34-20 upset victory. Graham finished the game with 87 rushing yards on 14 carries.
In week six, Sterling was set to face yet another top-ranked team in conference rival Geneseo, who had an undefeated start to the season after reaching the state semifinals the season before. The Golden Warriors dominated the Maple Leafs 28-7 in front of an estimated crowd of about 6,000, scoring an 80-yard touchdown on their first play from scrimmage. Graham added a 28-yard score of his own and finished the game with 114 yards, 44 of which came during Sterling's nine minute fourth quarter drive to ice the game. With Graham leading the defense, Sterling held Geneseo's high-powered offense to just 91 yards rushing on 31 carries.
The 2005 football team finished out the season undefeated and won their first conference championship in over ten years, but the top-seeded Golden Warriors were upset by Rochelle in the first round of the playoffs, 9-6. However disappointing, the unfortunate ending to the 2005 season does not take away from Graham's individual achievements. In his final season, Graham rushed for 834 yards and 15 touchdowns, and, defensively, he once again led the Golden Warriors in tackles, with 58. He collected his second consecutive NCIC All-Conference and Daily Gazette All-Area honors, won the team's Defensive Most Valuable and Taualii awards, was a Quad City Times All-Area selection, received Special Mention from the Champaign News-Gazette, and earned IHSFCA 5A All-State honors.
Graham continued his football career at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. During his time, the Warhawks won four consecutive Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championships and advanced to four NCAA Division III championships, of which they won two.