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 |
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1950 | Ed White | Washington |
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Red Noonan | New York Bulldogs |
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1951 | Clarence "Butch" Avinger | Pittsburgh |
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Eddie Salem | Washington |
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Herb Hannah | New York Giants |
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Larry Lauer | New York Yanks |
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Al Lary | New York Yanks |
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Mike Mizerany | Pittsburgh |
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Elliot Speed | Washington |
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Tommy Calvin | Pittsburgh |
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1952 | Billy Shipp | New York Giants |
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Bobby Wilson | Pittsburgh |
|
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Harold Lutz | Chicago Cardinals |
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1953 | Bobby Marlow | New York Giants |
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Jerry Watford | Chicago Cardinals |
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Jess Richardson | Philadelphia |
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Joe Curtis | Chicago Cardinals |
|
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Bob Conway | Green Bay |
|
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Travis Hunt | San Francisco 49ers |
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Clell Hobson | Cleveland Browns |
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1954 | Sid Youngelman | San Francisco 49ers |
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Tommy Lewis | Chicago Cardinals |
|
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Bill Oliver | Green Bay |
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John Smalley | Green Bay |
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Ralph Carrigan | Chicago Cardinals |
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1955 | George Mason | Pittsburgh |
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Tom "Corky" Tharp | Los Angeles Rams |
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Bobby Luna | San Francisco 49ers |
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Ed Culpepper | Green Bay |
|
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Cecil Ingram | Philadelphia |
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1956 | Jim Emmons | Pittsburgh |
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Curtis Lynch | Green Bay |
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Bart Starr | Green Bay |
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Al Ellett | Philadelphia |
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Wes Thompson | Pittsburgh |
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Jim Buckler | Chicago Bears |
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1957 | Don Comstock | Cleveland Browns |
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Fred Sington | San Francisco 49ers |
|
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1958 | Jim Loftin | Detroit |
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1959 | Bobby Jackson | Green Bay |
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Dave Sington | New York Giants |
|
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1962 | Billy Neighbors | Washington |
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Bill Rice | St. Louis Cardinals |
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Tommy Brooker | Washington |
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Ray Abruzzeze | Baltimore Colts |
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1963 | Lee Roy Jordan | Dallas |
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Butch Wilson | Baltimore Colts |
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Mike Fracchia | St. Louis Cardinals |
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1964 | Benny Nelson | Detroit |
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Steve Wright | Green Bay |
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Eddie Versprille | Cleveland Browns |
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1965 | Joe Namath | St. Louis Cardinals |
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Ray Ogden | St. Louis Cardinals |
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Frank McClendon | Minnesota |
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Gaylon McCullough | Dallas |
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Bud Frenc | St. Louis Cardinals |
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1966 | Ray Perkins | Baltimore Colts |
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Steve Sloan | Atlanta |
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Tom Tolleson | Atlanta |
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Steve Bowman | New York Giants |
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David Ray | Cleveland Browns |
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1967 | Leslie Kelly | Saints |
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Louis Thompson | Giants |
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Wayne Trimble | 49ers |
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Cecil Dowdy | Browns |
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1968 | Dennis Homan | Cowboys |
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Ken Stabler | Raiders |
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Bobby Johns | Chiefs |
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1969 | Mike Hall | Jets |
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William Davis | Raiders |
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Ken Stabler was the third Bama QB to lead his team to a Super Bowl victory