1966 NFL Expansion Draft - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The 1966 NFL Expansion Draft was a National Football League

National Football League

The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...

(NFL) draft

NFL Draft

The National Football League Draft is an annual event in which the National Football League teams select eligible college football players and it is their most common source of player recruitment. The basic design of the draft is each team is given a position in the drafting order in reverse order...

in which a new expansion team

Expansion team

An expansion team is a brand new team in a sports league. The term is most commonly used in reference to the North American major professional sports leagues, but is applied to sports leagues worldwide that use a closed franchise system of league membership. The term comes from the expansion of the...

, named the Atlanta Falcons

Atlanta Falcons

The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...

, selected its first players. On June 30, 1965

1965 NFL season

The 1965 NFL season was the 46th regular season of the National Football League.Because the Green Bay Packers and Baltimore Colts ended up tied in the Western Conference standings after the regular season ended, a conference playoff game was held in Green Bay. Although the Packers had defeated the...

, NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle

Pete Rozelle

Alvin Ray "Pete" Rozelle was the commissioner of the National Football League from January 1960 to November 1989, when he retired from office. Rozelle is credited with making the NFL into one of the most successful sports leagues in the world....

awarded the first NFL franchise in the Deep South

Deep South

The Deep South is a descriptive category of the cultural and geographic subregions in the American South. Historically, it is differentiated from the "Upper South" as being the states which were most dependent on plantation type agriculture during the pre-Civil War period...

to the city of Atlanta, Georgia

Atlanta, Georgia

Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...

and granted ownership to Rankin Smith Sr.

So that the Falcons could become competitive with existing teams, the league awarded the Falcons the first pick in the 1966 NFL Draft

1966 NFL Draft

The 1966 National Football League Draft was held on November 27, 1965. It was the last draft in which the NFL and the AFL drafted their players separate of one another. As a result, many players selected by teams from both leagues would choose to play for the more established NFL, or in a rarer...

, supplemented with the final pick in the first five rounds. The NFL also gave the new team the opportunity to select current players from existing teams. That selection was provided by the expansion draft, held on February 15, 1966

1966 NFL season

The 1966 NFL season was the 47th regular season of the National Football League, and the season after which was played Super Bowl I, though it was called the AFL-NFL World Championship Game. The league expanded to 15 teams with the addition of the Atlanta Falcons, thus an odd number of teams...

. In this draft, held six weeks after the regular draft, the existing franchises listed players from which the Falcons could select to switch to the new team.

Player selections

Player	\|College Team	New York Giants New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
Larry Benz Larry Benz Larry Walker Benz is a former professional American football safety in the National Football League. He played three seasons for the Cleveland Browns....	Safety	Northwestern Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....	Cleveland Browns Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
Lee Calland Lee Calland Lee Calland was a football player, a defensive back for ten seasons in the NFL. In 1968, his last of three years with the Atlanta Falcons, he helped seal the victory as a backup player with an interception off Fran Tarkenton of the New York Giants late in the 4th quarter, one of only 2 victories...	Defensive Back Defensive back In American football and Canadian football, defensive backs are the players on the defensive team who take positions somewhat back from the line of scrimmage; they are distinguished from the defensive line players and linebackers, who take positions directly behind or close to the line of...	Louisville	Minnesota Vikings Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
Dennis Claridge Dennis Claridge Dennis Bert Claridge is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League for the Green Bay Packers and Atlanta Falcons...	Quarterback Quarterback Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...	Nebraska	Green Bay Packers Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
Junior Coffey Junior Coffey Junior Lee Coffey Junior Coffey with 10.2* speed, was one of the finest running backs and defensive linebackers in Texas High School football during the 1960s...	Fullback Fullback (American football) A fullback is a position in the offensive backfield in American and Canadian football, and is one of the two running back positions along with the halfback...	Washington University of Washington University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...	Green Bay Packers
Ed Cook Ed Cook Edward Joseph Cook was a professional American football offensive lineman in the National Football League ....	Offensive Guard	Notre Dame University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...	St. Louis Cardinals Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
Dave Crossan Dave Crossan David Harry Crossan is a former American football center in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins. He played college football at the University of Maryland and was drafted in the third round of the 1963 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles. Crossan was also selected in the...	Center Center (American football) Center is a position in American football and Canadian football . The center is the innermost lineman of the offensive line on a football team's offense...	Maryland University of Maryland, College Park The University of Maryland, College Park is a top-ranked public research university located in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C...	Washington Redskins Washington Redskins The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
Perry Lee Dunn	Half back Running back A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...	Mississippi University of Mississippi The University of Mississippi, also known as Ole Miss, is a public, coeducational research university located in Oxford, Mississippi. Founded in 1844, the school is composed of the main campus in Oxford, four branch campuses located in Booneville, Grenada, Tupelo, and Southaven as well as the...	Dallas Cowboys Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
Bobby Franklin	Safety	Mississippi	Cleveland Browns
Dan Grimm	Offensive Guard	Colorado University of Colorado at Boulder The University of Colorado Boulder is a public research university located in Boulder, Colorado...	Green Bay Packers
Alex Hawkins Alex Hawkins Clifton Alexander "Alex" Hawkins is a retired American football player who played running back for the Baltimore Colts and Atlanta Falcons. He excelled as a special teams player...	Flanker Wide receiver A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...	South Carolina University of South Carolina The University of South Carolina is a public, co-educational research university located in Columbia, South Carolina, United States, with 7 surrounding satellite campuses. Its historic campus covers over in downtown Columbia not far from the South Carolina State House...	Baltimore Colts History of the Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional football team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They play in the AFC South division of the National Football League. They have won 3 NFL championships and 2 Super Bowls....
Ralph Heck Ralph Heck Ralph Adam Heck is a former American football linebacker who played nine seasons in the National Football League for the Philadelphia Eagles, Atlanta Falcons, and the New York Giants. He played college football at the University of Colorado....	Linebacker Linebacker A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...	Colorado	Philadelphia Eagles Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
Bob Jencks Bob Jencks Robert William Jencks was a former American football kicker and end in the National Football League for the Chicago Bears and the Washington Redskins. He played college football at Miami University and was drafted in the second round of the 1963 NFL Draft...	Tight End Tight end The tight end is a position in American football on the offense. The tight end is often seen as a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like offensive linemen, they are usually lined up on the offensive line and are large enough to be... - Kicker Placekicker Placekicker, or simply kicker , is the title of the player in American and Canadian football who is responsible for the kicking duties of field goals, extra points...	Miami (OH) Miami University Miami University is a coeducational public research university located in Oxford, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1809, it is the 10th oldest public university in the United States and the second oldest university in Ohio, founded four years after Ohio University. In its 2012 edition, U.S...	Washington Redskins
Bill Jobko Bill Jobko William Kermit Jobko is a former college and professional American football linebacker who played nine seasons in the National Football League...	Linebacker	Ohio State	Minnesota Vikings
Rudy Johnson	Half back	Nebraska	San Francisco 49ers San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
Frank Lasky	Offensive Tackle	Florida University of Florida The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...	New York Giants
Danny Lewis	Fullback	Wisconsin	Washington Redskins
Errol Linden Errol Linden Errol Joseph Linden is a former American football offensive tackle. Linden was selected in the tenth round by the Detroit Lions out of the University of Houston in the 1961 NFL Draft and played ten seasons in the National Football League. He died of cancer in a hospital at the age of 45.-External...	Offensive Tackle	Houston University of Houston The University of Houston is a state research university, and is the flagship institution of the University of Houston System. Founded in 1927, it is Texas's third-largest university with nearly 40,000 students. Its campus spans 667 acres in southeast Houston, and was known as University of...	Minnesota Vikings
Bill (Red) Mack	Flanker	Notre Dame	Pittsburgh Steelers Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
Frank Marchlewski Frank Marchlewski Frank Marchlewski was a professional American football player who played offensive lineman for six seasons for the Los Angeles Rams, Atlanta Falcons, and Buffalo Bills.-Buffalo Bills:...	Center	Minnesota University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...	Los Angeles Rams
Billy Martin Billy Martin (American football tight end) Jake William "Billy" Martin is a former American football tight end in the National Football League for the Chicago Bears, the Atlanta Falcons, and the Minnesota Vikings. He played college football at Georgia Tech and was drafted in the second round of the 1964 NFL Draft...	Tight End	Georgia Tech	Chicago Bears Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
Dale Memmelaar Dale Memmelaar Dale Edward Memmelaar is a former American football offensive lineman in the National Football League for the Chicago/St. Louis Cardinals, Dallas Cowboys, Cleveland Browns, and the Baltimore Colts...	Offensive Guard	Wyoming University of Wyoming The University of Wyoming is a land-grant university located in Laramie, Wyoming, situated on Wyoming's high Laramie Plains, at an elevation of 7,200 feet , between the Laramie and Snowy Range mountains. It is known as UW to people close to the university...	Cleveland Browns
Dale Messer	Flanker	Fresno State	San Francisco 49ers
Max Messner	Linebacker	Cincinnati University of Cincinnati The University of Cincinnati is a comprehensive public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio, and a part of the University System of Ohio....	Pittsburgh Steelers
Dennis Murphy	Defensive Tackle	Florida	Chicago Bears
Neal Petties	Split End	San Diego State	Baltimore Colts
Tim Powell	Defensive End Defensive end Defensive end is the name of a defensive position in the sport of American and Canadian football.This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations have substantially changed how the position is played over the years...	Northwestern	Los Angeles Rams
Dave Recher	Center	Iowa University of Iowa The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...	Philadelphia Eagles
Guy Reese Guy Reese Guy Reese was a professional American football player who played defensive lineman for five seasons for the Dallas Cowboys, Baltimore Colts, and Atlanta Falcons.-References:...	Offensive Tackle	SMU Southern Methodist University Southern Methodist University is a private university in Dallas, Texas, United States. Founded in 1911 by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, SMU operates campuses in Dallas, Plano, and Taos, New Mexico. SMU is owned by the South Central Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church...	Baltimore Colts
Bob Richards Bobby Richards Robert Griffin Richards is a former professional American football defensive linemen in the National Football League. He played six seasons for the Philadelphia Eagles and the Atlanta Falcons....	Defensive End	LSU Louisiana State University Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University, or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 in what is now known as Pineville, Louisiana, under the name...	Philadelphia Eagles
Jerry Richardson	Defensive Back	West Texas State	Los Angeles Rams
Marion Rushing Marion Rushing Marion Rushing is a former professional American Football player: He played nine and a half seasons in the NFL, mainly for the Chicago/St. Louis Cardinals...	Linebacker	Southern Illinois	St. Louis Cardinals
Bob Sherman	Defensive Back	Iowa	Pittsburgh Steelers
Chuck Sieminski	Defensive Tackle	Penn State	San Francisco 49ers
Carl Silvestri Carl Silvestri Carl Silvestri was a player in the National Football League for the St. Louis Cardinals and Atlanta Falcons in 1965 and 1966 as a defensive back. He played at the collegiate level at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.-Biography:...	Defensive Back	Wisconsin	St. Louis Cardinals
Jim Simon	Offensive Guard-Tackle	Miami University of Miami The University of Miami is a private, non-sectarian university founded in 1925 with its main campus in Coral Gables, Florida, a medical campus in Miami city proper at Civic Center, and an oceanographic research facility on Virginia Key., the university currently enrolls 15,629 students in 12...	Detroit Lions Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
Ron Smith Ron Smith (defensive back) Ronald "Trousers" Smith is a former professional American football defensive back and return specialist in the National Football League...	Defensive Back	Wisconsin	Chicago Bears
Don Talbert Don Talbert Don Larry Talbert is a former American football offensive tackle in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys, Atlanta Falcons, and the New Orleans Saints. He played college football at the University of Texas at Austin and was drafted in the eighth round of the 1961 NFL Draft...	Offensive Tackle	Texas	Dallas Cowboys
Ernie Wheelwright Ernie Wheelwright (running back) -Biography:Ernest Lamour 'Wheels' Wheelwright was born in Columbus, Ohio on November 28, 1939 and attended Southern Illinois University. He had several careers but is chiefly remembered as an American Football player who played as a running back for the New York Giants, Atlanta Falcons and the New...	Fullback	Southern Illinois	New York Giants
Bob Whitlow Bob Whitlow Robert Edward Whitlow is a former American football center in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins, Detroit Lions, Atlanta Falcons, and Cleveland Browns...	Center	Arizona University of Arizona The University of Arizona is a land-grant and space-grant public institution of higher education and research located in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The University of Arizona was the first university in the state of Arizona, founded in 1885...	Detroit Lions
Sam Williams Sam Williams (defensive lineman) Samuel F. Williams was an American football defensive end in the National Football League. He was a 24th round selection of the Los Angeles Rams in the 1956 NFL Draft out of Michigan State University...	Defensive End	Michigan State	Detroit Lions
Maury Youmans Maury Youmans Maurice Edward Youmans is a former American football defensive end in the National Football League for the Chicago Bears and Dallas Cowboys. He played college football at Syracuse University and was drafted in the ninth round of the 1959 NFL Draft....	Defensive End	Syracuse	Dallas Cowboys

Player selections

See also