1961 American Football League draft

1961 AFL draft
General information
Date(s)November 21–22, 1960 &
December 5–6, 1960
Overview
240 total selections in 30 rounds
LeagueAFL
First selectionKen Rice, OT
Buffalo Bills
Mr. IrrelevantMike McKeever, G
San Diego Chargers
Hall of Famers6
← 1960
1962 →

The 1961 American Football League draft, was held in 1960 because another league was in competition for the class of 1961 college stars, the American Football League draft for 1961 graduates. A six-round telephone draft was held on November 21 and 22, 1960, that saw the Buffalo Bills select Auburn's Ken Rice as the overall first draft pick.[1][2] The draft was completed on December 5 and 6, with rounds seven through thirty. The San Diego Chargers were still the "Los Angeles Chargers" in this draft, as their relocation was not announced until late January 1961.[3][4][5]

Player selections

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Round one

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Pick # AFL team Player Position College
1 Buffalo Bills Ken Rice OT Auburn
2 New York Titans Tom Brown G Minnesota
3 Boston Patriots Tommy Mason RB Tulane
4 Denver Broncos Bob Gaiters HB New Mexico Highlands
5 Oakland Raiders Joe Rutgens DT Illinois
6 Dallas Texans E. J. Holub C / LB Texas Tech
7 San Diego Chargers Earl Faison DE Indiana
8 Houston Oilers Mike Ditka TE Pittsburgh

Round two

[edit]
Pick # AFL team Player Position College
9 Buffalo Bills Billy Shaw G Georgia Tech
10 New York Titans Herb Adderley HB Michigan State
11 Denver Broncos Jerry Hill RB Wyoming
12 Boston Patriots Rip Hawkins LB North Carolina
13 Oakland Raiders George Fleming HB Washington
14 Dallas Texans Bob Lilly DT TCU
15 Houston Oilers Tom Goode C Mississippi State
16 San Diego Chargers Keith Lincoln FB Washington State

Round three

[edit]
Pick # AFL team Player Position College
17 Buffalo Bills Art Baker FB Syracuse
18 Buffalo Bills Tom Gilburg OT Syracuse
19 Boston Patriots Dan LaRose OT Missouri
20 Denver Broncos Bo Strange C LSU
21 Oakland Raiders Myron Pottios LB Notre Dame
22 Dallas Texans Jim Tyrer OT Ohio State
23 San Diego Chargers Marlin McKeever LB USC
24 Houston Oilers Walter Suggs OT Mississippi State

Round four

[edit]
Pick # AFL team Player Position College
25 Buffalo Bills Stew Barber OT Penn State
26 Denver Broncos Sonny Davis LB Baylor
27 Denver Broncos Ron McDole DE Nebraska
28 Boston Patriots Mike Zeno G VPI
29 Oakland Raiders Elbert Kimbrough S Northwestern
30 Dallas Texans Claude Moorman E Duke
31 Houston Oilers Bobby Walden HB / P Georgia
32 San Diego Chargers Jimmy Johnson CB UCLA

Round five

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Pick # AFL team Player Position College
33 Buffalo Bills Norm Snead QB Wake Forest
34 New York Titans Tom Matte RB Ohio State
35 Boston Patriots Fran Tarkenton QB Georgia
36 Denver Broncos Charley Cowan OT New Mexico Highlands
37 Oakland Raiders Dick Norman QB Stanford
38 Dallas Texans Jerry Mays DE SMU
39 San Diego Chargers Billy Kilmer QB UCLA
40 Houston Oilers Monte Lee LB Texas

Round six

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Pick # AFL team Player Position College
41 Buffalo Bills Fred Brown HB Georgia
42 New York Titans Bill Brown RB Illinois
43 Denver Broncos Dale Evans HB Kansas State
44 Boston Patriots Larry Eisenhauer DE Boston College
45 Oakland Raiders Bobby Crespino SE Ole Miss
46 Houston Oilers Jake Gibbs QB Ole Miss
47 San Diego Chargers Calvin Bird HB Kentucky
48 San Diego Chargers Cliff Roberts OT Illinois

Round seven

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Pick # AFL team Player Position College
49 Denver Broncos Pat Patchen E Florida
50 Boston Patriots Paul Terhes QB Bucknell
51 Oakland Raiders Ray Purdin HB Northwestern
52 Buffalo Bills Al Bemiller C Syracuse
53 Dallas Texans Fred Arbanas TE Michigan State
54 New York Titans Fred Mautino E Syracuse
55 San Diego Chargers Claude Gibson CB NC State
56 Houston Oilers Dick Reynolds OT NC State

Round eight

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Pick # AFL team Player Position College
57 Oakland Raiders Dick Price G Ole Miss
58 Oakland Raiders Tom Watkins HB Iowa State
59 Boston Patriots Charlie Long G Chattanooga
60 Buffalo Bills Chuck Linning OT Miami (FL)
61 New York Titans Harold Beaty OT Oklahoma State
62 Dallas Texans John O'Day OT Miami (FL)
63 Houston Oilers Houston Antwine DT Southern Illinois
64 San Diego Chargers Charley Johnson QB New Mexico State

Round nine

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Pick # AFL team Player Position College
65 Denver Broncos Phil Nugent S Tulane
66 Boston Patriots Roland Lakes DT Wichita
67 Oakland Raiders Lowndes Shingler QB Clemson
68 Buffalo Bills Billy Majors DB Tennessee
69 Dallas Texans Dick Mills G Pittsburgh
70 New York Titans Bernie Casey HB Bowling Green
71 San Diego Chargers Bob Scarpitto FL Notre Dame
72 Houston Oilers Ralph White OT Bowling Green

Round ten

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Pick # AFL team Player Position College
73 Denver Broncos Charley Sturgeon HB Kentucky
74 Oakland Raiders Ken Petersen OT Utah
75 Boston Patriots Dick Mueller E Kentucky
76 Buffalo Bills Don Kern HB VMI
77 New York Titans Joe Scibelli G American International
78 Dallas Texans Jerry Daniels E Ole Miss
79 Houston Oilers Charley Lee C Iowa
80 San Diego Chargers Willie Hector G Pacific

Round eleven

[edit]
Pick # AFL team Player Position College
81 Denver Broncos John Simko E Augustana (SD)
82 Boston Patriots Mel West HB Missouri
83 Oakland Raiders Doug Mayberry FB Utah State
84 Buffalo Bills Roy Wall HB North Carolina
85 Dallas Texans Marvin Tibbets HB Georgia Tech
86 New York Titans Art Gilmore HB Oregon State
87 San Diego Chargers Greg Larson C Minnesota
88 Houston Oilers Bob Bird G Bowling Green

Round twelve

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Pick # AFL team Player Position College
89 Denver Broncos Jerry Miller E Howard Payne
90 Oakland Raiders Bob Schmitz G Montana State
91 Boston Patriots Wayne Harris C Arkansas
92 Buffalo Bills Floyd Powers G Mississippi State
93 New York Titans Norris Stevenson HB Missouri
94 Dallas Texans Paul Hynes DB Louisiana Tech
95 Houston Oilers Bob McLeod TE Abilene Christian
96 San Diego Chargers Hezekiah Braxton FB Virginia Union

Round thirteen

[edit]
Pick # AFL team Player Position College
97 Denver Broncos Ron Greene G Washington State
98 Boston Patriots Dan Underwood OT McNeese State
99 Oakland Raiders Jerry Burch WR Georgia Tech
100 Buffalo Bills Tom Causey E Louisiana Tech
101 Dallas Texans Glynn Gregory E SMU
102 New York Titans Joe Wendryhoski C Illinois
103 San Diego Chargers Dale Messer HB Fresno State
104 Houston Oilers Gerald Hinton G Louisiana Tech

Round fourteen

[edit]
Pick # AFL team Player Position College
105 Denver Broncos Bill Cooper FB Muskingum
106 Oakland Raiders Clark Miller DE Utah State
107 Boston Patriots Jim Wright DB Memphis State
108 Buffalo Bills Ron Kostelnik DT Cincinnati
109 New York Titans Jim Cunningham FB Pittsburgh
110 Dallas Texans Curtis McClinton FB Kansas
111 Houston Oilers Jimmy King OT Clemson
112 San Diego Chargers Billy Wilson OT Auburn

Round fifteen

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Pick # AFL team Player Position College
113 Denver Broncos Willie Crafts G Texas A&I
114 Oakland Raiders Bob Coolbaugh FL Richmond
115 Buffalo Bills Jerry Frye E South Carolina
116 Dallas Texans Roy Lee Rambo G TCU
117 Dallas Texans Ed Nutting OT Georgia Tech
118 New York Titans Irv Cross E Northwestern
119 San Diego Chargers Ernie Ladd DT Grambling
120 Houston Oilers Dennis Ferriter C Marquette

Round sixteen

[edit]
Pick # AFL team Player Position College
121 Denver Broncos Jim Larkin OT Hillsdale
122 Oakland Raiders Chuck Lamson HB Wyoming
123 Boston Patriots George Balthazar OT Tennessee A&I
124 Buffalo Bills Vince Scott E Maryland
125 New York Titans Jerry Steffen HB Colorado
126 Dallas Texans Aaron Thomas TE Oregon State
127 Houston Oilers Larry Wood HB Northwestern
128 San Diego Chargers Bud Whitehead S Florida State

Round seventeen

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Pick # AFL team Player Position College
129 Denver Broncos Chuck Weiss FB Colorado
130 Boston Patriots Ray Ratkowski HB Notre Dame
131 Oakland Raiders Joe Novsek DE Tulsa
132 Buffalo Bills Wayne Wolff G Wake Forest
133 Dallas Texans Jarrell Williams HB Arkansas
134 New York Titans Mike Pyle OT Yale
135 San Diego Chargers Reggie Carolan TE Idaho
136 Houston Oilers Sam Fewell OT South Carolina

Round eighteen

[edit]
Pick # AFL team Player Position College
137 Denver Broncos Chick Graning HB Georgia Tech
138 Oakland Raiders Joe Krakoski S Illinois
139 Boston Patriots Tom Rodgers HB Kentucky
140 Buffalo Bills John Bodkin G South Carolina
141 New York Titans Alfred Bentley E Arkansas State
142 Dallas Texans Ron Hartline FB Oklahoma
143 Houston Oilers Ike Grimsley HB Michigan State
144 San Diego Chargers Ed Dyas FB Auburn

Round nineteen

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Pick # AFL team Player Position College
145 Denver Broncos John Hobbs G Maryland State
146 Boston Patriots Joe Bellino HB Navy
147 Oakland Raiders Charley Fuller HB San Francisco State
148 Buffalo Bills Charley Barnes E Northeast Louisiana State
149 Dallas Texans Frank Jackson FL SMU
150 New York Titans Jim Kerr S Penn State
151 San Diego Chargers Jack Espenship HB Florida
152 Houston Oilers Myron Pearson HB Colorado State

Round twenty

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Pick # AFL team Player Position College
153 Denver Broncos Buck McLeod OT Baylor
154 Oakland Raiders Preston Powell FB Grambling
155 Boston Patriots Clarence Childs CB Florida A&M
156 Buffalo Bills Everett Cloud HB Maryland
157 New York Titans Neil Plumley OT Oregon State
158 Dallas Texans Bobby Lane LB Baylor
159 Houston Oilers Lewis Johnson HB Florida A&M
160 San Diego Chargers Mike Lucci C Tennessee

Round twenty-one

[edit]
Pick # AFL team Player Position College
161 Denver Broncos Jim Morgan HB Iowa State
162 Boston Patriots Don Oakes OT VPI
163 Oakland Raiders Mike Jones QB San José State
164 Buffalo Bills Larry Vargo S Detroit
165 Dallas Texans Dick Thornton QB Northwestern
166 New York Titans Bob Brooks FB Ohio
167 San Diego Chargers Gene Gaines HB UCLA
168 Houston Oilers Ron Miller QB Wisconsin

Round twenty-two

[edit]
Pick # AFL team Player Position College
169 Denver Broncos Tom Hackler E Tennessee Tech
170 Oakland Raiders Blayne Jones G Idaho State
171 Boston Patriots Bob Johnson E Michigan
172 Buffalo Bills Charlie Baker OT Tennessee
173 New York Titans Wayne Fontes DB Michigan State
174 Dallas Texans Ed Sharockman CB Pittsburgh
175 Houston Oilers Bob Kelly OT New Mexico State
176 San Diego Chargers John Brown OT Syracuse

Round twenty-three

[edit]
Pick # AFL team Player Position College
177 Denver Broncos Tom Jewel OT Idaho State
178 Boston Patriots Darrel DeDecker C Illinois
179 Oakland Raiders Roger Fisher C Utah State
180 Buffalo Bills Red Mack TE Notre Dame
181 Dallas Texans Lou Zivkovich OT New Mexico State
182 New York Titans Mickey Walker G Michigan State
183 San Diego Chargers Glenn Bass SE East Carolina
184 Houston Oilers Jim Anderson FB Ole Miss

Round twenty-four

[edit]
Pick # AFL team Player Position College
185 Denver Broncos E. A. Sims E New Mexico State
186 Oakland Raiders Jack Novak G Miami (FL)
187 Boston Patriots Don Webb CB Iowa State
188 Buffalo Bills Frank Jackunas C Detroit
189 New York Titans Howard Dyer QB VMI
190 Dallas Texans Pat Dye G Georgia Bulldogs
191 Houston Oilers Ken Gregory E Whittier
192 San Diego Chargers Ben Balme G Yale

Round twenty-five

[edit]
Pick # AFL team Player Position College
193 Denver Broncos Pete Samms OT Central State (OK)
194 Boston Patriots Bob Minihane OT Boston University
195 Oakland Raiders Paul Yanke E Northwestern
196 Buffalo Bills Jack Harbaugh HB Bowling Green
197 Dallas Texans Ray Ramsey QB Adams State
198 New York Titans Andy Griffith HB American International
199 San Diego Chargers Donald Coffey WR Memphis State
200 Houston Oilers Jack Kreider HB Tulsa

Round twenty-six

[edit]
Pick # AFL team Player Position College
201 Denver Broncos Sam Smith HB Florence State
202 Oakland Raiders Dean Hinshaw OT Stanford
203 Boston Patriots Charley Granger OT Southern
204 Buffalo Bills Lorenzo Stanford OT North Carolina A&T
205 New York Titans Bobby Smith S UCLA
206 Dallas Texans Danny House HB Davidson
207 Houston Oilers Don Fuell QB Mississippi Southern
208 San Diego Chargers Bill Kinnune G Washington

Round twenty-seven

[edit]
Pick # AFL team Player Position College
209 Denver Broncos Don Olson HB Nebraska
210 Boston Patriots Terry Huxhold OT Wisconsin
211 Oakland Raiders Clair Appledoorn E San José State
212 Buffalo Bills Bob Allen E Wake Forest
213 Dallas Texans Bob Schloredt QB Washington
214 New York Titans Moses Gray OT Indiana
215 San Diego Chargers Luther Hayes E USC
216 Houston Oilers Boyd King C Rice

Round twenty-eight

[edit]
Pick # AFL team Player Position College
217 Denver Broncos Wayne Lee G Colorado State
218 Oakland Raiders Dave Grosz QB Oregon
219 Boston Patriots Bryant Harvard QB Auburn
220 Buffalo Bills Jason Harness E Michigan State
221 New York Titans Fred Cox HB / K Pittsburgh
222 Dallas Texans Bill Stine G Michigan
223 Houston Oilers John Frongillo C Baylor
224 San Diego Chargers Chuck Allen LB Washington

Round twenty-nine

[edit]
Pick # AFL team Player Position College
225 Denver Broncos Archie Cobb OT Nebraska
226 Boston Patriots Ernie McMillan OT Illinois
227 Oakland Raiders Ed Morris OT Indiana
228 Buffalo Bills Mike Stock HB Northwestern
229 Dallas Texans Lonnie Caddell FB Rice
230 San Diego Chargers Dan Ficca G USC
231 Houston Oilers Tom Lewis E Lake Forest
232 Houston Oilers Errol Linden OT Houston

Round thirty

[edit]
Pick # AFL team Player Position College
233 Denver Broncos Dave Mills HB Northeast Missouri State
234 Oakland Raiders Bill Face HB Stanford
235 Boston Patriots George Hultz DT Mississippi Southern
236 Buffalo Bills Billy Martin HB Minnesota
237 New York Titans Bill Minnerly HB Connecticut
238 Dallas Texans Cedric Price E Kansas State
239 Houston Oilers Jim Stroud OT Rice
240 San Diego Chargers Mike McKeever G USC

Notable undrafted players

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= AFL All-Star
Original NFL team Player Pos. College Conf. Notes
Dallas Texans Dave Grayson  CB Oregon Ind.
Denver Broncos Donnie Stone  RB Arkansas SWC
Denver Broncos Jerry Sturm  C Illinois Big Ten
New York Titans Dainard Paulson  S Oregon State Ind.
San Diego Chargers Bo Roberson  WR Cornell Ivy

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "1961 AFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
  2. ^ "Keith Lincoln second pick of Chargers". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. November 22, 1960. p. 14.
  3. ^ "LA Charger owner Hilton likes the setup in San Diego". Lodi News-Sentinel. California. UPI. January 7, 1961. p. 9.
  4. ^ "Chargers move south". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. January 25, 1961. p. 13.
  5. ^ "Chargers go to San Diego". Eugene Register-Guard. Oregon. Associated Press. January 25, 1961. p. 3B.