# 1961 American Football League draft

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. 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.

## Player selections
### Round one

| 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

| 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

| 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

| 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

| 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

| 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

| 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

| 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

| 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

| 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

| 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

| 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

| 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

| 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

| 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

| 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

| 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

| 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

| 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

| 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

| 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

| 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

| 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

| 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

| 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

| 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

| 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

| 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

| 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

| 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

| $^†$ | = AFL All-Star |
| Original NFL team | Player | Pos. | College | Conf. |
| 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 |