Allan Graf

Allan Lee Graf is an American athlete, actor, stuntman and director.

A high school All-American football player at San Fernando in Los Angeles, California, Graf played offensive guard for the undefeated national champion University of Southern California Trojans in 1972. After a brief experience playing professional football, Graf stumbled into stunt work, and over time has become a stunt coordinator in Hollywood, coordinating stunts in football movies like Any Given Sunday and Friday Night Lights. Graf likes to cast himself in onscreen stunt roles, and has appeared in many television shows and movies. Graf has become a second unit director, working on films such as Wayne's World, The Replacements, The Waterboy, We Were Soldiers, and Jerry Maguire.

Early life and education Allan Lee Graf was raised in Sylmar, California, but transferred to San Fernando High School in tenth grade. According to Graf, San Fernando was the best high school football program in the state in the 1970s. Though originally from mostly white Sylmar, Graf proved himself sufficiently as a defensive player at San Fernando to be elected captain of the more integrated Tigers team as a senior. In 1968, the San Fernando Tigers won the Los Angeles City High School football championship, going undefeated; Graf was selected L.A. City co-player of the year and a Parade Magazine All-American at defensive tackle. Thirty three teammates on the 1972 roster would eventually be drafted by teams in the National Football League, including five first round picks.

Career Football Unpicked in the 1973 NFL draft, Graf attended the Los Angeles Rams' 1973 fall training camp as a free agent. Playing behind All-Pro Tom Mack in camp, Graf asked to be traded or released, but was the last man cut from camp, leaving him without an NFL contract. Graf was one of several Trojan graduates to join the Portland Storm franchise in the new World Football League, but after the league folded in the middle of its second season, Graf thought his football career was behind him.

...Walter Hill gave me my opportunity to direct second unit on Johnny Handsome. I have been with Walter over 20 years. I worked with him on the pilot of Deadwood.

Sports films Graf's special connection with sports has led him to be one of Hollywood's most capable and experienced football stunt coordinators. Starting with Gus, Graf has performed or coordinated stunts in over a dozen football-related films. For Friday Night Lights Graf personally interviewed over 900 candidates for a forty-man roster, including doubles for the actors involved. After deciding on talent, Graf put together a playbook and started the roster running plays, gradually working the actors into the practices. "My rule of thumb is we never hit an actor. We can't afford anyone to get hurt. When we did Any Given Sunday, we could do some controlled stuff, but it is very limited how much you can do."

Different directors want different things. The one thing I was happy about with Pete Berg with Friday Night Lights is that he wanted reality. That's what I really like. I like to make it very violent and very real. When I did Jerry Maguire, Cameron Crowe wanted it to look exactly like Monday Night Football and we did it just like that.

Personal life Graf and wife Betty have three children, all USC alums or students: Derek, Nicole and Kevin. and Kevin Graf started at right offensive tackle for 37 games before graduation.