American Football League Draft
Encyclopedia
The American Football League
(AFL, 1960 - 1969) stocked its teams in two ways:
The latter option involved a "draft" in which each team selected players who then were not available for other teams to select. The draft for the 1960 season was actually conducted in late 1959, shortly after the formation of the league. Thereafter, American Football League drafts were conducted separately from the rival NFL through 1966. Starting in 1967, after the NFL agreed to merge with the AFL, the two leagues conducted a "common draft"
.
In 1961 and 1962, the American Football League drafts were "regional". Teams were assigned broad geographical regions around their home city, and had "rights" to the players within those regions. This encouraged players to sign with "home town" teams, as well as providing fans with players with whom they had some familiarity. The AFL also tapped sources which the NFL had disdained: small colleges and all-black colleges.
During the years in which the American Football League was in direct competition with the NFL for players (and fans), numerous star players chose to play in the AFL. The first and one of the most prominent of these was LSU All-American Billy Cannon
, who went on to become an AFL All-Star both as a running back with the Houston Oilers and as a tight end with the Oakland Raiders
. Other greats signed by the AFL in the years before the common draft included Abner Haynes
and Johnny Robinson (Dallas Texans
); Jim Otto
(Oakland Raiders); Lance Alworth
, John Hadl
, and Ron Mix
(San Diego Chargers
), Lionel Taylor
(Denver Broncos
); Billy Shaw
(Buffalo Bills
); Larry Grantham
(New York Titans
); Matt Snell
and Joe Namath
(New York Jets
); Nick Buoniconti
(Boston Patriots) and a host of others.
American Football League
The American Football League was a major American Professional Football league that operated from 1960 until 1969, when the established National Football League merged with it. The upstart AFL operated in direct competition with the more established NFL throughout its existence...
(AFL, 1960 - 1969) stocked its teams in two ways:
- Signing free agentFree agentIn professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
s (players whose contracts in other professional football leagues had expired, or who had no professional experience). - Signing players from the previous year's college graduates.
The latter option involved a "draft" in which each team selected players who then were not available for other teams to select. The draft for the 1960 season was actually conducted in late 1959, shortly after the formation of the league. Thereafter, American Football League drafts were conducted separately from the rival NFL through 1966. Starting in 1967, after the NFL agreed to merge with the AFL, the two leagues conducted a "common draft"
Common Draft
The Common Draft was the name given to the selection of college football players in a combined draft from 1967 to 1969 by the American Football League and the National Football League . This took place after the AFL-NFL merger agreement in 1966....
.
In 1961 and 1962, the American Football League drafts were "regional". Teams were assigned broad geographical regions around their home city, and had "rights" to the players within those regions. This encouraged players to sign with "home town" teams, as well as providing fans with players with whom they had some familiarity. The AFL also tapped sources which the NFL had disdained: small colleges and all-black colleges.
During the years in which the American Football League was in direct competition with the NFL for players (and fans), numerous star players chose to play in the AFL. The first and one of the most prominent of these was LSU All-American Billy Cannon
Billy Cannon
William Abb "Billy" Cannon is an All-American, 1959 Heisman Trophy winner and 2008 inductee into the College Football Hall of Fame from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, and one of the American Football League's most celebrated players.He was born in Philadelphia, Mississippi, and moved...
, who went on to become an AFL All-Star both as a running back with the Houston Oilers and as a tight end with the Oakland Raiders
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. Other greats signed by the AFL in the years before the common draft included Abner Haynes
Abner Haynes
Abner Haynes is a former college and professional football player in the United States.Haynes is a graduate of North Texas State University where he and his then teammate Leon King integrated college football in the state of Texas in 1956...
and Johnny Robinson (Dallas Texans
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a...
); Jim Otto
Jim Otto
James Edwin Otto is a former Professional Football center for the Oakland Raiders of the American Football League.-Wausau High School and University of Miami:...
(Oakland Raiders); Lance Alworth
Lance Alworth
Lance Dwight Alworth is a former American collegiate and Professional Football wide receiver. He is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame...
, John Hadl
John Hadl
John Willard Hadl is a former collegiate and professional football player.Hadl was born in Lawrence, Kansas. After playing halfback on both offense and defense at the University of Kansas as a sophomore, Hadl played quarterback for his last two years at Kansas, and was selected as the school's...
, and Ron Mix
Ron Mix
Ronald Jack Mix , in Los Angeles, California was an American football player.Mix attended USC, and upon graduation played right tackle and guard for the American Football League's Los Angeles/San Diego Chargers and the NFL Oakland Raiders .- College career :A graduate of the University of Southern...
(San Diego Chargers
San Diego Chargers
The San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
), Lionel Taylor
Lionel Taylor
Lionel Thomas Taylor is a former American football wide receiver who led the American Football League in receptions each year for the first six years of the league's existence.-College football:...
(Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
); Billy Shaw
Billy Shaw
William Lewis "Billy" Shaw is an American former college and professional football player.Drafted in 1961 by the American Football League's Buffalo Bills, Billy Shaw of Georgia Tech was the prototypical "pulling guard" who despite his size held his own against much bigger defensive linemen like...
(Buffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
); Larry Grantham
Larry Grantham
Larry Grantham is a former American collegiate and Professional Football player.A member of the "Ole Miss" Athletic Hall of Fame, he was a linebacker of the University of Mississippi who came to the American Football League's New York Titans in the 1960 college draft and helped form the backbone...
(New York Titans
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
); Matt Snell
Matt Snell
Matt Snell was the American Football League's New York Jets owner Sonny Werblin's first coup, prior to his 1965 acquisition of Joe Namath...
and Joe Namath
Joe Namath
Joseph William "Joe" Namath , nicknamed "Broadway Joe" or "Joe Willie", is a former American football quarterback. He played college football for the University of Alabama under coach Paul "Bear" Bryant and his assistant, Howard Schnellenberger, from 1962–1964, and professional football in the...
(New York Jets
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
); Nick Buoniconti
Nick Buoniconti
Nicholas Anthony Buoniconti is a former American Football League and NFL Hall of Fame middle linebacker, who played for the Boston Patriots and Miami Dolphins....
(Boston Patriots) and a host of others.
- 1960 AFL Draft1960 American Football League DraftThe 1960 American Football League Draft was held on November 22, 1959, shortly after the organization of the league, and lasted 33 rounds. An additional draft of 20 rounds was held by the AFL on December 2.- Territorial draft :...
- 1961 AFL Draft1961 American Football League DraftBecause another league was in competition for the class of 1961 college stars, the American Football League draft for 1961 graduates was actually held in 1960, with a six-round telephone draft on November 23, that saw the Denver Broncos select New Mexico State's Bob Gaiters as the overall first...
- 1962 AFL Draft1962 American Football League Draft-Boston Patriots draft picks :-Buffalo Bills draft picks :-Dallas Texans draft picks :-Denver Broncos draft picks :-Houston Oilers draft picks :...
- 1963 AFL Draft1963 American Football League Draft-First round:-See also:*List of American Football League players*History of American Football League draft*List of Professional Football Drafts-External links:*...
- 1964 AFL Draft1964 American Football League Draft-First round:-See also:*List of American Football League players*History of American Football League draft*List of Professional Football Drafts-External links:*...
- 1965 AFL Draft1965 American Football League Draft-Player selections:-First round:-Second round:-Third round:-Fourth round:-Fifth round:-Sixth round:-Seventh round:-Eighth round:-Ninth round:-Tenth round:-Eleventh round:-Twelfth round:-Thirteenth round:-Fourteenth round:...
- 1966 AFL Draft1966 American Football League Draft-Round One:-Round two:-Round three:-Round four:-Round five:-Round six:-Round seven:-Round eight:-Round nine:-Round ten:-Round eleven:-Round twelve:-See also:* 1966 NFL Draft*...
- 1967 AFL Draft1967 American Football League DraftThe 1968 American Football League Draft was part of the Common Draft in the first year in which the NFL and AFL held a joint draft of college players.-AFL Player selections:-Round one:*1 Member of the American Football League All-Time Team....
- 1968 AFL Draft1968 American Football League DraftThe 1968 American Football League Draft was part of the Common Draft, in the second year in which the NFL and AFL held a joint draft of college players.-AFL Player selections:-Round one:-Future Hall of Famers Selected by AFL Teams:...
- 1969 AFL Draft