- Rod Graves
"'Rod GravesCollege: Texas TechHometown: Houston, TXCardinal Season: 9th NFL Season: 22nd
Rod Graves was promoted to the position of vice president-football operations following the 2002 season after six years as Arizona’s assistant to the president and currently serves as the team's General Manager.
In his current position, Graves, 47, is responsible for all facets of the Cardinals’ football operations. He serves as the team’s primary contract negotiator in addition to overseeing college and professional scouting efforts, assisting salary-cap management, and consulting on other business aspects of the football operation.
Graves joined the Cardinals in June of 1997 after 13 years in various personnel capacities with the Chicago Bears. He was promoted to assume responsibility for administration of the Cardinals’ scouting department in May of 1998.
A native of Houston, Graves began his career in professional football personnel work in 1982 as a regional scout for the Philadelphia Stars of the United States Football League. It was then he first crossed paths with former Cardinals’ Head Coach Vince Tobin, the Stars’ defensive coordinator. In 1983, Graves was promoted to assistant director of player personnel.
He joined the National Football League in 1984 as a regional scout for the Chicago Bears, a position he held until promoted to director of college scouting in 1993, then director of player personnel in 1994.
During his tenure with the Bears, he worked for Bill Tobin, the team’s director of player personnel and older brother of former Cardinal head coach Vince Tobin, along with another former Cardinal head coach, Dave McGinnis, and running backs coach Johnny Roland.
In the last year he has been selected by Sports Illustrated as one of the “101 Most Influential Minorities in Sports” as well as one of the “50 Most Powerful Blacks in Sports” by Black Enterprise Magazine. He currently serves on the NFL’s C.E.C. Working Group Committee and the NFL College Advisory Committee.
Graves, who holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Texas Tech, is the son of the late Jackie Graves, the former assistant director of player personnel for the Philadelphia Eagles
He resides in Phoenix with his wife, Dreama, and their three children—daughters Britne and Taylor, and son Joshua.
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