Rob Graham (’90) was a highly regarded basketball player during his years as a Bishop Moore student. Rob returned enthusiastically to Bishop Moore as a teacher and head basketball coach after eight very successful years of coaching at the collegiate level. Rob quickly made an indelible, positive impact on the Bishop Moore community.
On Feb. 19, 2005, Rob suffered a sudden cardiac arrest while coaching the Bishop Moore boy’s varsity basketball team during a district championship game. Rob was revived after an extended period of rigorous CPR and subsequent successful defibrillation.
As a result, Rob suffered a severe anoxic (lack of oxygen) brain injury and was in a comatose state for over a month. Rob emerged miraculously from the coma on March 25 with brief periods of purposeful activity. Despite this improvement, the degree to which Rob will ultimately recover remains uncertain. He continues to face an extended period of disability with numerous long-term, rehabilitative challenges.
The events of that fateful evening have resulted in a number of positive steps by both the Orange County School System and the Catholic Diocese of Orlando that led to the installation of portable defibrillators on school campuses and the training of faculty and staff on their proper use. Rob and his family are now faced with a lifetime of unimaginable hardship and uncertainty due to the possible irreversibility of his medical condition.
Rob has two daughters, Alexis and McKenzie.