Background
Adrian was born on September 6, 1891 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama to Adrian Sebastian "Bass" Van de Graaff and Minnie Cherokee Jemison.
Adrian was born on September 6, 1891 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama to Adrian Sebastian "Bass" Van de Graaff and Minnie Cherokee Jemison.
Adrian attended Tuscaloosa High School.
He played halfback for the Alabama Crimson Tide football of the University of Alabama. After football he practiced law. Adrian, Senior was a circuit judge who had been a sub on Yale"s football team of 1880.
University of Alabama
Adrian"s younger brothers Hargrove and William were also prominent football players for Alabama, William being the program"s first All-American.
Younger still was Adrian"s brother Robert J. Van de Graaff, the inventor of the Van de Graaff Generator which produces high voltages. = 1912 Adrian was selected All-Southern in 1912 by Nathan Stauffer of Collier"s Weekly.
Camp Gordon had several players with college experience, including Adrian.
Following in his father"s footsteps, Adrian joined the Alabama football team, becoming a prominent member of its 1911 and 1912 teams. At Alabama he was a member of Phi Delta Theta. Adrian was "one of the most brilliant member of the Alabama bar, having an unusual aptitude for legal research.".