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Rochester Knighthawks

Styres Presents '7th Man' with Knighthawks Championship Ring

December 9, 2014 - National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Rochester Knighthawks News Release


There was no doubt in Paul Graham's mind that winning the "Knighthawks' "7th Man Championship Ring Raffle" was exciting. But it was not nearly as thrilling as being presented the ring by Knighthawks Owner and General Manager Curt Styres on the field during halftime of Rochester's preseason game Saturday night.

"You can't compare it," said Graham. "To be out there and have everyone looking at you and cheering for you is a great feeling. It has to be up there as one of my favorite experiences at a game."

Earlier that day, Graham was invited to lunch with Styres and Team President Lewis Staats. At the Olive Garden in Greece, Graham celebrated winning the raffle and received an explanation of the significance of the 2014 ring design.

"We really wanted to share the ring with a special person. It made sense to give it to one of our fans, especially a longtime fan - one who's had season tickets for a so long." said Styres following the presentation. "It's really good for one of our longtime supporters to be able to receive the ring."

Graham first received the news about winning the ring in early November when Staats visited him at his workplace and presented him with the ceremonial certificate. A month later, the ring is officially his.

"It's awesome. It's a great feeling to have it," Graham said. "I wasn't sure what it was going to be like so I was surprised to see what the ring looked like in person and feel how heavy it actually was."

Graham has been attending Knighthawk games with his family since he became a season ticket holder in 1995, which was the team's inaugural season. Most of them accompanied Graham in the Knighthawks' suite to share the special experience with him.

"It's so cool to see everything the Knighthawks are doing for us for winning the ring," said Graham's wife, Ann. She talked about her husband's role in turning her into a fan of the Knighthawks.

"He's influenced my support a lot," she said. "I don't know if I would have come to a game if it wasn't for him. I'm happy I did."

Graham explained how proud he is to be a fan of the organization because of the way it treats its fans. Receiving the ring only reinforced those strong feelings.

"I think Curt (Styres) and Lew (Lewis Staats) are giving back to the fans," said Graham. "They realize that we are part of the family and they want to reward that."

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