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Rummaging the Vaults, vol. 4: Alabama & the NFL Draft 1950-1969

In case you missed the first installment of the "Alabama & the NFL Draft" series covering 1936-1949, you can find it here.

At this point, the names should start to look a little more familiar to modern fans since most of these guys are still alive and many of them played for Bear Bryant.

Beginning in 1961, the AFL began their own draft. This only lasted through 1966 though and the two leagues combined drafts in 1967.

They were still drafting way too many people during these years. 1959 (and most of the 50s) saw 360 players picked over 30 rounds. 1960 saw the number of players drafted drop to 240 over 20 rounds. Then, in 1967 the combined draft saw 462 players drafted over 17 rounds.

Alabama had no one drafted in 1960 or 1961.


Two time Super Bowl winner Bart Starr wound up being a great steal for the Packers. Starr was the 200th pick of the '56 draft

In 1965, the NFL and AFL held their drafts on the same day. Joe Namath was selected #2 overall by the New York Jets in the AFL Draft and #12 overall by the St. Louis Cardinals in the NFL Draft. Namath was the MVP of Super Bowl III, making it the third year in a row that a former Alabama QB was the Super Bowl MVP (Bart Starr was MVP of Super Bowls I & II.)


Namath chose the NY Jets

Pro football hall of famers listed in bold
College football hall of famers listed in italics

Year Player Team Draft
Position
1950 Ed White Washington
240
Red Noonan New York Bulldogs
328
1951 Clarence "Butch" Avinger Pittsburgh
9
Eddie Salem Washington
15
Herb Hannah New York Giants
73
Larry Lauer New York Yanks
94
Al Lary New York Yanks
143
Mike Mizerany Pittsburgh
165
Elliot Speed Washington
257
Tommy Calvin Pittsburgh
298
1952 Billy Shipp New York Giants
95
Bobby Wilson Pittsburgh
306
Harold Lutz Chicago Cardinals
328
1953 Bobby Marlow New York Giants
8
Jerry Watford Chicago Cardinals
87
Jess Richardson Philadelphia
92
Joe Curtis Chicago Cardinals
244
Bob Conway Green Bay
247
Travis Hunt San Francisco 49ers
273
Clell Hobson Cleveland Browns
347
1954 Sid Youngelman San Francisco 49ers
83
Tommy Lewis Chicago Cardinals
110
Bill Oliver Green Bay
135
John Smalley Green Bay
291
Ralph Carrigan Chicago Cardinals
302
1955 George Mason Pittsburgh
54
Tom "Corky" Tharp Los Angeles Rams
67
Bobby Luna San Francisco 49ers
69
Ed Culpepper Green Bay
101
Cecil Ingram Philadelphia
273
1956 Jim Emmons Pittsburgh
159
Curtis Lynch Green Bay
188
Bart Starr Green Bay
200
Al Ellett Philadelphia
318
Wes Thompson Pittsburgh
340
Jim Buckler Chicago Bears
358
1957 Don Comstock Cleveland Browns
103
Fred Sington San Francisco 49ers
140
1958 Jim Loftin Detroit
103
1959 Bobby Jackson Green Bay
73
Dave Sington New York Giants
358
1962 Billy Neighbors Washington
43
Bill Rice St. Louis Cardinals
69
Tommy Brooker Washington
211
Ray Abruzzeze Baltimore Colts
219
1963 Lee Roy Jordan Dallas
6
Butch Wilson Baltimore Colts
24
Mike Fracchia St. Louis Cardinals
33
1964 Benny Nelson Detroit
61
Steve Wright Green Bay
69
Eddie Versprille Cleveland Browns
151
1965 Joe Namath St. Louis Cardinals
12
Ray Ogden St. Louis Cardinals
40
Frank McClendon Minnesota
120
Gaylon McCullough Dallas
131
Bud Frenc St. Louis Cardinals
152
1966 Ray Perkins Baltimore Colts
110
Steve Sloan Atlanta
156
Tom Tolleson Atlanta
216
Steve Bowman New York Giants
226
David Ray Cleveland Browns
243
1967 Leslie Kelly Saints
26
Louis Thompson Giants
82
Wayne Trimble 49ers
91
Cecil Dowdy Browns
230
1968 Dennis Homan Cowboys
20
Ken Stabler Raiders
52
Bobby Johns Chiefs
320
1969 Mike Hall Jets
260
William Davis Raiders
412


Ken Stabler was the third Bama QB to lead his team to a Super Bowl victory