Head coach Todd Graham, who has a history of short coaching stints, insists he's at Arizona State for the long haul.
To most college football fans, Todd Graham is known as the carpetbagger head coach who doesn't stay in one place very long. Graham would like to be known as the head coach who returned Arizona State to national prominence.
Graham left the University of Pittsburgh after just one season as head coach because he believes Arizona State has the potential to win a national championship. There are those who wonder whether he'll stay in Tempe long enough to achieve such a lofty goal.
"I absolutely love it here and I'm in it for the long haul. I know people will say 'Yea, whatever.' But there's zero interest in anything else," Graham recently told the Arizona Republic. "What my family went through leaving Pittsburgh, it was vicious. I have no interest in going through another transition."
The reason there are those who question Graham's commitment is because he has a history of short stints. He also served just one season as head coach at Rice before returning to Tulsa, where he had been an assistant.
What isn't in question is that Graham has won wherever he's been. The Texas native led Rice to a tremendous turnaround, taking over a team that went 1-10 in 2005 and leading it to a 7-5 record and berth in the New Orleans Bowl in 2006.
Graham directed Tulsa to a 36-17 record and three bowl wins in four seasons. The Golden Hurricane won 11 games in 2008 and 10 in both 2007 and 2010 while placing first in the West Division of Conference USA all three of those years.
Pittsburgh went 6-6 and played in the BBVA Compass Bowl in Graham's lone season as head coach, while Arizona State is 7-5 and headed to the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl in his first campaign.
Graham was severely criticized for leaving Pittsburgh less than one year after being hired, informing his players via text message of the move. One Panthers player, wide receiver Devin Street, called him a "liar." In numerous interviews since, Graham has expressed remorse for the way he left Pitt and said his biggest mistake was taking that job in the first place.
Graham called Arizona State his "dream job" and made the move in part because his wife Penni has family in the Valley of the Sun. "This is the first time in my career that I made a decision that benefitted my wife, benefitted my kids," he said.
Arizona State enjoyed great success during the 22-year tenure of head coach Frank Kush, who compiled a 176-54-1 record from 1958-1979. The Sun Devils put together a school-record 21-game winning streak from 1969-1971.
John Cooper had a brief, but highly successful tenure as head coach, leading Arizona State to a 25-9-2 mark from 1985-1987. The 1986 Sun Devils captured the Pac-10 championship and defeated Michigan in the Rose Bowl in finishing with a 10-1-1 record.
Graham said all the ingredients remain in place for Arizona State to once again capture conference championships and contend on a national level. The school is one of the nation's largest in terms of enrollment and located in a warm weather region that is a destination spot.
Sun Devil Stadium is one of the country's finest and is set to undergo a $300 million renovation.
"This program has great tradition. Over the last decade, the issue has been consistency," Graham said. "Our goal is to instill the type of solid foundation that produces consistent success and sets the table for winning championships."
Graham took over an Arizona State program that developed a reputation for being undisciplined during the three-year tenure of head coach Dennis Erickson. He is proud the Sun Devils have gone from the most penalized team in the Pac-12 to the least penalized team.
Graham finds it fitting that Arizona State is playing Navy in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl. That's because the Midshipmen display the type of characteristics he's trying to instill in the Sun Devils.
"Navy epitomizes all of what we want to represent, which is honor, character, discipline, toughness and class," Graham said. "Our greatest achievement this year has been with implementing those intangibles. We have gotten smarter and mentally tougher."
Graham has an energetic, outgoing personality and has worked tirelessly to promote Arizona State football. Upon being hired, Graham said the best way to fill the massive Sun Devil Stadium was to get out in the community and shake 73,000 hands. He then embarked on a whirlwind schedule designed to do just that.
Mark Brand, in his 30th season with the Arizona State media relations department, said Graham has been one of the most fun and enjoyable head football coaches he's ever worked with. Even the biggest skeptics among fans and media would admit that Graham has succeeded in directing a dramatic culture change within the program.
Graham has installed offensive and defensive systems that are designed to be aggressive and dictate to opponents. Arizona State ranks 31st out of 120 Football Bowl Subdivision teams in total offense and 26th in total defense.
The Sun Devils are No. 21 in scoring offense and stand second nationally in both sacks and tackles for loss.
"We want to be known as a team that plays a physical brand of football, attacks on both sides of the ball and really puts pressure on the opponent," Graham said.