Hall of Fame
George Grailer played for the football team but made his reputation on the basketball team. At 6-1, 190 pounds, Grailer was a big guard with a fine passing touch. He often set up Toledo's All-American center, Bob Gerber, with pinpoint passes. Grailer, regarded as one of the team's toughest defenders, was a key player on the 1941-42 team that went 23-5 and made it to the semifinals of the National Invitation Tournament, the most prestigious post-season basketball tourney in the country at that time. The Rockets were 44-8 in Grailer's two seasons as a starter on the basketball team. A native of Stambaugh, Mich., Grailer returned to his hometown after graduation to become a teacher and coach. In 1971, he was voted the best basketball player ever to play in the West Iron County Area. Ten years later, Grailer was inducted into the Michigan Upper Peninsula Hall of Fame. Grailer died in 1998.
