Centre half Graeme Lee made his first team debut under daunting circumstances as a 17-year-old when he appeared as a substitute against a strong Arsenal side in a League Cup tie, with Ian Wright and Dennis Bergkamp leading the Gunners attack in a 5-0 victory. From such a baptism of fire, Lee soon established himself at the heart of the Pools defence. He formed strong partnerships with other Pools greats such as Chris Westwood and Micky Barron as Pools made the playoffs in three consecutive seasons under Chris Turner between 2000 and 2002. A cruciate knee ligament injury caused Lee to miss almost the whole of the second playoff season but he bounced back in style. In 2001/02 he was named Player of the Year as Pools lost in the playoff semi-finals once again, and then was a virtual ever-present in the following season as Turner's team finally won promotion in 2003, this time bypassing the playoffs by finishing runners-up to Rushden and Diamonds. Chris Turner himself was not around to see his side clinch their place in the third tier, having left the club to take the manager's job at Sheffield Wednesday in the November. In June 2003, Lee followed his old boss to Hillsborough and went on to play over 60 games for the Yorkshire club before moving on to Doncaster, Bradford, Notts County and Darlington. During his time at Doncaster the centre half made his final appearances for Pools when he rejoined on loan for a brief spell in 2008. He made three appearances during this time, taking his overall tally at Hartlepool United to 255 games. He scored 23 times. After calling time on his playing career, Lee got into coaching. In 2017 he brought a young Middlesbrough side to the Vic for a pre-season friendly, and two years later he was appointed as head coach of the Teesside club's under-23s. He remained in that role for over two years before returning to the place where it all started. On 1st December 2021, a month after the departure of Dave Challinor, Graeme Lee was named as the manager of Hartlepool United. Challinor's were big boots to fill, but Lee began well with wins in each of his first two matches including an FA Cup triumph at League One Lincoln City. Further cup successes against higher division opposition followed. Pools reached Round Four of the FA Cup where they lost to Premier League outfit Crystal Palace, and had the club's best ever season in the Football League Trophy, reaching the semi-final before losing out on penalties to eventual winners Rotherham United. The cups provided welcome distraction and boosted the club's coffers, but the league form declined rapidly. A good February proved to be a false dawn, and Lee's side won just one of the eleven league games that followed the Rotherham cup tie. These results, culminating in a 1-1 draw against an already-relegated Scunthorpe United, cost Lee his job. He was dismissed in May 2022 having won seven of his 26 league games in charge.