Hall of Fame quarterback Otto Graham dies at 82

CLEVELAND -- Otto Graham was the perfect quarterback for the Cleveland Browns.

The Hall of Famer, who led the Browns to 10 championship games in the 10 seasons he played for them, died Wednesday of an aneurysm to the heart. He was 82.

Graham died in Sarasota, Fla., team spokesman Todd Stewart said. Graham was taken to Sarasota Memorial Hospital earlier in the day with a tear in his aorta, said his son, Duey Graham.

"He was as great of a quarterback as there ever was," said longtime friend George Steinbrenner, who grew up in Cleveland. "He was a god in Cleveland."

Nicknamed "Automatic Otto," Graham never missed a game as a pro while passing for 23,584 yards and 174 touchdowns. He finished his career with an astounding 105-17-4 regular-season record.

He took coach Paul Brown's teams to the title game in each season from 1946-55.

"That's hard to beat," said Sammy Baugh, a contemporary of Graham's and also a Hall of Famer.

With Graham as their quarterback, the Browns won four championships in the old All-America Football Conference and three NFL titles. He was MVP of the AAFC three times.

Graham was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1965, and the Browns retired his uniform No. 14, which he wore from 1952-55.

Graham wore No. 60 from 1946-51.

"The test of a quarterback is where his team finishes," Brown once said. "By that standard, Otto Graham was the best of all time."

Giants coach fired amid six-game losing streak

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Coach Jim Fassel was fired by the New York Giants after a disappointing season that began with hopes of reaching the Super Bowl.

"It's time. They need a change, I need a change. It's the right thing to do," Fassel said Wednesday.

He will coach the last two games of the season.

Fassel was told of the decision Tuesday in a meeting he requested with Giants co-owners Wellington Mara and Bob Tisch and executive vice president John Mara.

A Super Bowl team three seasons ago and expected to contend again, the Giants (4-10) have dropped six straight games to fall to last place in the NFC East. It's the team's longest losing streak in 10 years.

In seven seasons as the Giants' coach, Fassel is 60-54-1, including the postseason. He took the team to the playoffs three times, including a loss in the 2001 Super Bowl.

Fassel had a year left on his contract at a salary of about $2.5 million.

-- From wire reports