This award should be named for Todd Graham. In fact, it should include his wife Penni and be renamed the Todd Graham Family of Assholes Award. Todd should receive Lifetime Achievement recognition, for Todd Graham has been an Asshole all of his professional life. That profession is scholarly tackle football.
Most recently Todd took his assholes to the University of Hawaii. Todd resigned on Jan. 14 for "health reasons" (We hope he is unwell.) following a slew of transfers (including his son Michael!) and testimony taken before the Hawaii state senate from former and current players and their families. A former described Todd as "the worst guy I've ever met in my life." A current player recounted Todd saying that the state of Hawaii was a "third world country" because a vending machine did not have Dr. Pepper! Todd, you see, is from Texas, the Womb of Assholes, where Dr. Pepper is tres chic.
Todd began his career as asshole in Texas at high schools. He got his first college head coaching gig at Rice in 2006. After a successful season Todd signed a contract extension with a significant raise. Days later he resigned to take the head coach position at Tulsa. Todd stayed four years at Tulsa, having great success, including an upset win at Notre Dame. Todd then left to become the head coach at Pitt.
Todd did not like Pittsburgh, which he had never visited before accepting the job, Penni did not like Pittsburgh--too cold--and after one season Todd asked the Pitt athletic director for permission to interview for the job at Arizona State, where it's hot. That permission was declined. Todd hung up the phone on the A.D., Steve Pederson. When Pederson personally went to Todd and Penni's home and knocked on the door, they refused to answer. Todd resigned, flew to Arizona, and was named head coach. He informed his Pitt players that he was resigning in a text message. One of them tellingly reacted, "It's been all a lie this whole time. Everything he told us has been a lie." After he left Pitt he continued to badmouth the school and city, saying that the one mistake he made "was taking the job in the first place." Todd became the most despised man in college football.
This sun devil had initial success coaching the "Sun Devils" (He was a success everywhere he coached before Hawaii.) going 8-5, 10-4 and 10-3 in his first three years. Thereafter his teams fell off and after six years and a 7-6 record in 2017 Todd was fired.
Because he had become the most despised man in college football Todd was unemployed in 2018 and 2019. In 2020 the University of Hawaii made the mistake that Rice, Tulsa, Pitt, and Arizona State had made and hired the asshole. When he resigned noted college football expert Bruce Feldman tweeted:
Have heard from several coaches tonight reacting to the Todd Graham situation at Hawaii. This was from one of them: “He’s a bad human being. The truth is finally coming out on him.” https://t.co/EaBsxtMrpi
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) January 8, 2022
Bad human beings are what make Recent Assholes such a popular series! So Todd, Penni, for all your doo-doo, this award is for you.
