Field Gulls
Graham was part of a four-person crew that rowed 584 nautical miles across the Arctic Ocean in just over 10 days.
A former Seattle Seahawk has made history.
Jimmy Graham, a 13-year NFL veteran and an ex-Seahawks tight end, was part of a four-person rowing crew that rowed 584 nautical miles across the Arctic Ocean. The record was set in a little over 10 days, breaking the previous record for a four-person team of 15 days, 5 hours, and 32 minutes.
The crew included Graham, Andrew Tropp, Hannah Huppi, and John Huppi, the latter two of whom are alumni of Tulane University’s rowing team. On July 4, the crew departed from Tromsø, Norway, rowing around 584 nautical miles to Longyearbyen, Svalbard. Prior to setting out on their journey, the group trained for 18 months, estimating that it would take around 10-20 days to complete the voyage.
In an Instagram video posted last summer, Graham noted that this trek would be his first experience rowing, and that he had not been on a boat until the day before the video was shot. Graham is, of course, more famous for being a licensed pilot.
As noted by NFL.com’s Kevin Patra, “The team set several firsts with its expedition: It was the first mixed-gender team of four to row across the Arctic Ocean and the first all-American team to row across a polar ocean. Graham became the first Black person to row a polar ocean. Hannah Huppi was the first American woman to row a polar ocean.”
Among Graham’s team’s motivations for this challenge was to raise $1 million for Covenant House New Orleans and Laureus Sport for Good New Orleans, a dollar for every meter they rowed.
Acquired in a high-profile trade with the New Orleans Saints back in 2015, Graham played 43 games for Seattle until 2017, recording 170 receptions for 2,048 yards and 18 touchdowns, all of which are Seahawks records at the tight end position.
Congratulations to Jimmy, Andrew, Hannah, and John!
