Graham retired two years ago after teaching and coaching at Bulkeley High School in Hartford for 35 years. Graham was the head football coach at Bulkeley 23 years prior to retiring.
Canton High School will offer club football this fall. A group of parents who call themselves Friends of Canton Football have been working with the town's Board of Education to bring football back to the high school for about one year and have held a number of fundraisers to support the upstart program.
According to Karl Grabowski, the president of Friends of Canton Football, Coach Martin was intrigued by the opportunity of starting and building a football program from scratch. "He has a strong track record in teaching the fundamentals and discipline needed in building in a successful football program," said Grabowski. "Graham is very excited about this opportunity and we are extremely fortunate to have a quality coach and individual like Graham helping us bring football back to Canton High School."
To date, 41 students at Canton High School have registered for the club football team. The student athletes met Coach Martin for the first time at a player/parent meeting held in the Canton High School cafeteria on June 20 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.