Born in Torrance, Calif., on Nov. 16, 1978, Daniel was raised by Tom and Marilyn Graham in Denver. Has a twin brother Joshua, older brother Phillip and a 2-year-old daughter Jaida. Dad played for the Broncos (1972-74), Phillip played defensive back for CSU in the late 1980s and Josh played for North Carolina. Daniel was a highly decorated player at Thomas Jefferson High School and the University of Colorado. He was New England’s first-round draft pick, 21st overall, in 2002 and helped the Patriots win Super Bowls in 2003-04.
Q: I’ve met your dad and he’s an outgoing, sociable sort. Your twin brother Josh can carry a conversation with the best of them. You would never use five words if one will do.
A: I take after my mom. I’m the quiet type. When you have a twin brother who is outgoing all the time, you seem to shy away.
Q: So even though you’re the star football player, in the pecking order of the Graham family, you’re sitting somewhere in the back seat.
A: I do. I kept to myself, liked to do my own thing, as long as I can remember. So, yeah, one is outgoing, one is laid back.
Q: Tell me about your parents.
A: My mom is a loving mother. She stayed up with me all night when I had asthma problems.
Q: Is asthma still a problem for you when you play?
A: Every day.
Q: You take medicine for it?
A: Every day.
Q: Wow. Tell me about Dad. In every way he seems like a strong man.
A: He’s had a big influence (on me). He’s someone I always looked up to when I was playing football, and most importantly, off the football field.
Q: Dad knew enough about football to not allow his sons to play football while they were growing up. Did you ever fight him on that rule?
A: Not at all. He said we couldn’t play until high school and we’d never push him on it. We just played baseball and basketball.
Q: Your CU Buffs are on the way back. Can you tell me how much you took from Stephen Alexander (Bronco tight end and Oklahoma alum)?
A: (Laughs). He’s still mad about that. I always tease him, tell him when I was at CU, we never lost to Oklahoma. We played them twice and never lost to them.
Q: Who all recruited you, and why did you choose CU?
A: I told myself wherever I had the most fun, I wasn’t going to go there. So that canceled Arizona State. I actually committed to Southern Cal, but my father talked me out of it. I took three trips – Arizona State, Southern Cal and Colorado. I canceled A&M and Oklahoma because by then I had already decided on Colorado.
Q: How did Dad talk you into Colorado?
A: He didn’t talk me into Colorado, he talked me out of SC. He just didn’t want me to go to school there. They were going to switch me to linebacker if I went there.
Q: Blocking might have got you the money, but would you admit catching the ball is more fun?
A: It’s a lot more fun. Everybody at the tight end position wants to catch that ball, make plays. But I took my role for the last four, five, six years and done my best with that.
Q: New England could have shown they missed you a little bit this year.
A: (Smiles). It’s been like that since I was a rookie there. A lot of key names, big-time players, they let go or release and they just get guys to step in and do the job.
Q: Their one constant throughout their run, though, is Tom Brady. Is he as special when you’re around him everyday as he is from afar?
A: He is. I realized from my first days in New England just how smart and intelligent he is about the game. He brings a lot of competitiveness to the field.
Q: What are your interests?
A: I love music. I’ll download, buy CDs. I’ve had a collection of CDs forever.
Q: You’re about to be stranded on an island, but first you get to take one CD with you. Which one do you pick?
A: That’s a tough one. I’d probably stick with Alicia Keys. Her first one. I like everything but she is my favorite artist.
Q: What else do you like to do? You know, activities.
A: I like fishing. I’m a sports fisherman.
Q: What does Colorado have that New England doesn’t?
A: No. 1 is the Rocky Mountains. I missed waking up and the sun being up every day. You don’t get the sun back there like you do here.
Q: You majored in ethnic studies at CU. What’s your interest there?
A: I majored in Native American studies and minored in Chicano studies. I need three more classes for my degree. I told my mom that I would go back.
Q: Your dad was finished playing as you were growing up, but did you ever have any NFL privileges?
A: He retired the year I was born. Football for me growing up was just as a fan. I recall my dad leading the chapel services for the team that came in to play the Broncos. So I got to meet a lot of NFL players. I once got to catch a pass from John Elway in camp. I thought he broke my finger.
The Graham file
Height: 6-feet-3. Weight: 257 pounds.
Born: Nov. 16, 1978, in Torrance, Calif.
How acquired: Signed with the Broncos as an unrestricted free agent in the offseason. Spent his first five seasons with New England.
Draft: Selected by New England in the first round (21st overall) of the 2002 NFL draft.
College: Earned the John Mackey Award, presented annually to the nation’s top tight end. Compiled 106 career catches for 1,543 yards (14.6 avg.) and 11 TDs at Colorado.
High school: Made 33 catches for 741 yards and six TDs as a senior while collecting 29 tackles (15 solo) with 12 sacks at linebacker at Denver’s Thomas Jefferson High School.
Broncos legacy: Joins his father, Tom, who played linebacker for Denver from 1972-74.
Band of brothers: Daniel’s twin brother, Josh, played football at North Carolina and his older brother, Phillip, played defensive back at Colorado State in the late 1980s.
Editor’s note: Throughout the season, Broncos reporter Mike Klis and photographer Cyrus McCrimmon will help readers get to know one of the team’s players on a deeper level. McCrimmon’s photographs will complement a weekly conversation with Klis about life, work and play.
