Some Rice zealots and Houston media members are still miffed about Graham leaving Rice last year, after one season and after agreeing to a contract extension.
They're upset with Graham even though he was the head coach of Rice's first bowl team in 45 years.
"I don't read message boards and stuff like that, so I haven't heard a lot of that,” Graham said at his weekly press conference Monday. "My brothers and mother and everybody else does. My mother's a native of Houston, and it's very difficult when you have those type things written and said about you.”
Graham wasn't pleased with media reports that he says were inaccurate when he left Rice for Tulsa, where he had been defensive coordinator the previous three years.
"I was upset about some of the things that I think were leaked to the media that were outright lies,” Graham said. "How much money I was making. That I was making $1.1 million. I signed the wrong contract if that's the case.”
Under Graham last year, Rice had a 7-6 record that included a win at Tulsa, against his former boss, Steve Kragthorpe, now at Louisville.
"When I left there,” Graham said, "I didn't have a negative thing said to me from the administration there… They were disappointed that I left, and I hate that, but I look back on it now and I'm thankful for the experience I had there. I gave those kids and that program everything I had. I think I left it better than I found it.”
Graham has continued his good work at Tulsa. The Golden Hurricane are 8-3 and can win the Conference USA's West division by winning Saturday. The C-USA title game will be Dec. 1.
"It's not a good thing to go to a place and be there a year and leave,” Graham said. "I accept any of the ridicule that you get when you do that. But I can tell you that with the circumstances around it, there was no question about what my decision had to be.
"The fact that I was coming home to a place that I had been three of the last four years was big. That meant a lot. The University of Tulsa meant a lot. This city meant a lot. My wife was really excited about coming back here, no question. But the bottom line had to do with the commitment from this university.”
Tulsa leads all 119 major college teams in total offense and is bowl eligible for the fourth time in five years.
