Today, we shine a light on trailblazer Jackie Graves — a pioneering scout who made lasting contributions to multiple NFL franchises, including the Boston Patriots, Philadelphia Eagles, and Indianapolis Colts. Graves is also a proud member of the Black College Football Hall of Fame, a testament to his enduring legacy in the sport.
To explore more trailblazing contributors to pro football history, be sure to visit our Historical Scouting Reports series — part of the Football Learning Academy’s ongoing effort to preserve and share the stories of the game’s hidden legends. You can find it at www.football-learning-academy.com, and we’re always adding to it as new stories come to light.
The Scouting Journey of Jackie Graves
Jackie Graves wore many hats during his life, but scouting was his true calling.
That journey began in 1967 when he was hired part-time as a scout for the Boston Patriots. His hiring came at the hands of then Co-Director of Player Personnel Rommie Loudd, who will be featured in an upcoming episode of our podcast.
In 1970, Graves transitioned from the Patriots to a full-time position with the Central Eastern Personnel Organization (CEPO). At the time, CEPO was one of only a few independent scouting services — a topic we’ve covered in detail in a recent Football Learning Academy blog post. During his time with CEPO, Graves focused heavily on talent coming out of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), an area rich with underappreciated talent.
In 1972, Graves took the next step in his career by joining the Philadelphia Eagles as a regional scout. He was responsible for scouting the southern and southeastern United States, regions long known for producing some of the game’s greatest players.
Unfortunately, in 1985, the Eagles underwent a restructuring of their personnel department, and Graves was let go. He then joined the Indianapolis Colts, where he worked for two more years before being forced into retirement due to health issues. Jackie Graves passed away in 1989.
Honoring a Pioneer
In 2012, Jackie Graves was posthumously inducted into the Black College Football Hall of Fame. His class included legendary names such as Rayfield Wright, Willie Brown, Claude Humphrey, and Harry Carson — a clear sign of the deep respect held for Graves within the football community.
The Graves family legacy in football continues. Jackie’s son, Rod Graves, began his career as an NFL scout before moving into executive roles with several teams. Today, he serves as the Executive Director of the Fritz Pollard Alliance — an organization dedicated to promoting diversity and equality of job opportunity in the NFL.
As we mentioned in our episode on Lloyd Wells, Jackie Graves, Lloyd Wells, and Milt Davis were among the most respected scouts of the 1960s and 1970s. Their contributions helped shape the modern NFL, and their careers deserve to be remembered.
Thank you for joining us in this profile of Jackie Graves — a man whose quiet, persistent work helped open doors and bring generations of talent into professional football.
For more stories like this, visit us at football-learning-academy.com, where history lives on.
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Football Learning Academy Founder - Ken Crippen
Ken Crippen was in a leadership position within the Professional Football Researchers Association for 15 years and is now the founder and lead instructor at the Football Learning Academy.
Each week, the official Football Learning Academy podcast will take you deep into the history of this great game.
Through interviews with players, coaches, or administrators in the NFL, as well as interviews with Pro Football Hall of Fame selectors, authors, and historians, you will learn about how the game evolved and important moments that shaped the sport into what it is today
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