Former Saints TE Jimmy Graham Rows Across the Arctic Ocean

Graham became the first black person to row across a polar ocean and part of the first All-American to do so.

Jimmy Graham #80 of the New Orleans Saints warms up before the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, La., on Oct. 19, 2023. Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images

Former New Orleans Saints tight end Jimmy Graham has rowed across the Arctic Ocean.

Graham and three crewmates rowed a total of 584 nautical miles from the Norwegian mainland to the archipelago of Svalbard. In doing so, he became the first black person to row across a polar ocean and part of the first All-American to accomplish the feat. Graham was drafted by the Saints and spent the plurality of his career, six seasons, with the team.

The crew consisted of:

• captain Andrew Tropp, a retired Navy SEAL who previously served as Senior Special Operations advisor to Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, and the Netherlands
• lead navigator Graham
• team manager Hannah Huppi, a world-class coastal rower who won the first medal for the United States in the sport in 2021. She and her husband John own an indoor rowing studio in New Orleans called ErgoFit
• boatswain John Huppi, Hannah’s husband and a professor at Tulane University, where he also coaches men’s and women’s rowing. He previously competed in rowing as a student at Tulane and also competed for the U.S. and Swiss national teams

The crew shoved off from the starting point in Tromsø, Norway on July 4. According to the Arctic Challenge website, the four rowers rowed 24 hours a day, alternating in two-hour shifts, for the duration of the 1,000-kilometer journey north to the finishing point in Longyearbyen, Svalbard. They slept for a maximum of 90 minutes at a time and consumed up to 8,000 calories a day. The boat they used for the crossing was a Rannoch RX45 ocean rowing boat.

According to the Saints’ website, the crew also encountered bad weather that forced them to drop anchor twice during the voyage. While the sun was shining 24 hours a day, they dealt with rain and clouds that hindered them from using the boat’s solar panels to charge their electronics.

The crew made history several times over. Their final time of 10 days, 5 hours smashed the previous record for a 4-person team—15 days, 5 hours, and 32 minutes—set by British crew Ocean Revival Adventures in 2023; according to the Arctic Challenge website, the average time to complete a South-North Arctic Ocean crossing is 16.5 days. They also became the first mixed-gender 4-person team to row across the Arctic Ocean and the first All-American team to row across a polar ocean. Hannah Huppi became the first American woman to row a polar ocean, while Graham became the first black person to do so.

The Arctic Challenge aims to “inspire young minds” and “challenge the next generation to defy their limiting beliefs and chart their own course toward extraordinary achievements.” It also aims to raise $1 million, a dollar for each meter the crew traveled, and partners with several charitable organizations, including:

• the New Orleans chapter of Covenant House, a nonprofit that provides food, shelter, medical care, and a variety of educational, occupational, and whole-of-life support programs to young people who are homeless and/or victims of human trafficking
• the New Orleans chapter of Laureus Sport for Good, a global charity that promotes youth sports for underprivileged children
• the Veterans Association for the Norwegian Naval Special Operations Command

“Using this challenge to inspire young people is very meaningful for me,“ Graham said in a statement on the Arctic Challenge website. ”As someone who has experienced homelessness, I recognize the importance of not letting your circumstances define your future. Through this challenge, we will showcase the power of determination, teamwork and resilience, and I am thrilled to use it as a platform for empowering kids to pursue their wildest dreams.”

Graham was drafted by the Saints out of Miami (Florida) in the third round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He had a breakout season in 2011, catching 99 passes for 1,310 yards and 11 touchdowns. He had another stellar season in 2013 with 1,215 yards and 16 touchdowns. He was traded to the Seattle Seahawks in 2015 and spent 3 seasons in Seattle. He signed with the Green Bay Packers in 2018 and spent two seasons there before signing with the Chicago Bears in 2020 and playing two seasons there. After spending a year away from football, he returned to the Saints on a one-year deal in 2023.

Graham has not officially retired from football. Last year, while training for the Arctic Challenge, he said he wanted to retire with the team that drafted him.

“I don’t have any expectations,” Graham told ESPN in June 2024. “I just want to make sure when I retire, it’s as a Saint, and it’s when they want me to. I‘ll just make sure I give them a call and see exactly when they want me to retire and then I’ll end up doing it.”