Her talent for throwing events was quickly identified and a sixteen-year-old Graham was runner-up at the 1964 United States Olympic Trials and also third at the national Amateur Athletic Union meet.

[1] At the age of seventeen she won national titles in both the shot put and discus throw at the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.

Outdoors, she was beaten at the 1967 nationals by Maren Seidler,[3] but still she was selected to represent the United States at the 1967 Pan American Games held in Winnipeg.

She won three straight national titles from 1969 to 1971, upturning Seidler's position as America's top shot putter, and set a championship record mark of 15.85 m (52 ft 0 in).

Graham retired from the sport thereafter while Seidler ultimately pushing American women's throwing to near European standards – her 1972 national win was the first of a nine-year streak which included in a championship record of 19.09 m (62 ft 7+1⁄2 in) in 1979.