USCGA Opens Otto Graham Hall of Athletic Excellence

The Otto Graham Hall of Athletic Excellence opened on Sept. 29, 2016 in the renovated Billard Hall at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut.  The Hall is named after Otto Graham who was the Academy’s former CGA Head Football Coach and Athletic Director, as well as inductee to both the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame.
 
This space now pays tribute to the history of Academy Athletics - great teams, Hall of Fame athletes, and the pioneers of men and women’s sports - through storyboards and technology-aided reviews of all Academy NCAA varsity, club, and intramural sports.  This $2.3 million project is the culmination of efforts that began over a decade ago and was gifted to the Academy by the CGA Alumni Association.
 
Teams such as the first undefeated football team, the volleyball and men's basketball teams that both advanced to the Elite Eight in 2008, and the 2016 National Champion women's sailing team are just a few of many that represent the Academy's tradition of athletic excellence on display throughout the Hall.  The Hall also includes artifacts such as a space flight suit worn by Coast Guard's first astronaut, Capt. Bruce Melnick (CGA '72) and a golf club and shoes worn by the late Arnold Palmer, a former Coast Guardsman.