PACKERS GET BONUS CHOICE, PICK HORNUNG OF NOTRE DAME
NOVEMBER 26 (Philadelphia) - The Green Bay Packers won the
1956 NFL bonus choice Monday and picked Notre Dame
quarterback Paul Hornung, Head Coach Lisle Blackbourn of Green
Bay drew the winning bonus slip out of a hat held by Commissioner
Bert Bell. There were only two teams competing for the bonus
choice this year, Green Bay and the Chicago Cardinals. In the first
round of the regular draft, in which the Packers had third choice,
they picked Ron Kramer, rugged Michigan end. For their second
choice, the Packers took Joel Wells, Clemson halfback. Dalton
Truax, Tulane tackle, was the Packers' third round pick. Blackbourn,
in naming Hornung his choice, said of the Notre Dame star, "He
has the great potential of all Notre Dame backs. He is a great
natural athlete, a tremendous competitor, has great speed and will
stand the type of punishment dealt out in the NFL." Blackbourn
further described Hornung as a "good punter, kickoff man, field goal
and extra point kicker and an outstanding defensive back." The
Green Bay choice was considered a mild surprise since it was
believed the Packers were more interested in running halfbacks
than a quarterback. They already have one of the league's finest
quarterbacks in Tobin Rote. Although Packer officials denied it, the
selection of Hornung indicated that Rote may keep a recent threat
to retire from the professional game after this season. Blackbourn,
however, said he believed Rote would not retire and that he could
find plenty of use for both the present Green Bay signal caller and
Hornung.
PACKERS DRAFT HORNUNG, KRAMER
NOVEMBER 26 (Philadelphia) - The Green Bay Packers selected
Notre Dame quarterback Paul Hornung as their NFL bonus choice
Monday after head coach Lisle Blackbourn drew the lucky slip from
the hat at the pro football draft meeting. In the first round of the
regular draft, Jon Arnett, Southern California halfback, selected by
the Los Angeles Rams as the No. 1 choice. The 12 teams
selected according to the standings as of Sunday with the last
place club first and the first place team last. Grabbed quickly in the
first round were such 1956 college All-American prospects as
Stanford's passing ace, John Brodie, second choice named by San
Francisco; Ron Kramer, Michigan end, tapped by Green Bay; Len
Dawson, Purdue quarterback, picked by Pittsburgh; Jim Brown,
Syracuse halfback, selected by Cleveland, and Clarence Peaks,
Michigan State halfback, drawn by Philadelphia. The Packers
followed with a halfback and a pair of tackles to round out their four
regular picks. Halfback Joel Wells of Clemson was Blackbourn's
second pick followed by Dalton Truax, Tulane, and Carl Vereen,
Georgia Tech. Commissioner Bert Bell presided over the partial
draft session - the teams selected four rounds - called to meet the
early Canadian league competition for American football talent. The
final 26 rounds of the annual player draft will be held during the
league's mid-January meeting. Only the Packers and the Chicago
Cardinals participated in the bonus selection since under league
rules all previous winners of the bonus player drop out until every
team in the league has been successful in the out-of-the-hat draw.
The Cardinals thus automatically will get the bonus selection next
year. The Green Bay coach described Hornung, a 6-2, 210-pound
quarterback as having "the greatest potential of all Notre Dame
backs. He is a great natural athlete, a tremendous competitor, has
great speed, and can take the punishment dealt in the NFL."
Blackbourn said Hornung was a good punter, kickoff man, field
goal and extra point kicker and a good defensive player. "He has
wonderful poise and in one year should become the greatest passer
in the league," said Blackbourn adding "we can use him at
quarterback, halfback and fullback." The selection of Hornung by
Green Bay was a mild surprise in some quarters since it was
thought the Packers were interested in hard-running halfbacks to
make their present quarterback, Tobin Rote, more effective. The
selection indicated the recent report that Rote would retire from pro
football at the end of this season bore more truth than fiction.
Blackbourn, however, said he did not believe Rote would retire.
Wells, a 6-1 1/2, 203-pound halfback, was named to the All-Atlantic
Coast Conference team for three years and ranked as one of its
best defensive backs. Offensively, he averaged 7.5 yards per carry
He is a specialist on pass defense. Truax comes highly
recommended by Tulane coach Anton Pilney, who said: "I wouldn't
trade him for any tackles in the Southeastern Conference. He
weighs 222 pounds (over a 6-2 1/2 frame) and is fast enough to
catch the halfbacks." Vereen has expressed his desire to play pro
ball and has the physical assets. He's 6-6, weighs 242 and was a
standout in Georgia Tech's offensive line. No NFL meeting would be
complete without a rhubarb and this was no exception. George
Halas of the Bears and Edwin Anderson, president of the Lions, led
a floor fight to make eligible for the pro draft players in the Pacific
Coast Conference ruled ineligible for further college competition for
alleged recruitment violations. Anderson finally put the point to a
motion but it fell short of the necessary unanimous approval when
Baltimore's Don Kellett cast a "no" vote, declaring the league
should stick by its ruling prohibiting the drafting of any player before his class has graduate, whether or not he had made himself ineligible or his college had done so. The Bears created a mild stir in the third round when they drafted UCLA quarterback Ron Knox, who played with several Canadian teams this past fall.
ODDS AGAINST RETIREMENT - ROTE
NOVEMBER 26 (Green Bay) - Tobin Rote of the Green Bay Packers, regarded as one of the finest all-around quarterbacks in the NFL, Monday said he hasn't decided whether to retire after this season, but "the odds are pretty good that I won't." Rumors have been making the rounds for the last week or 10 days that the 28-year old veteran of seven NFL seasons planned to retire. The rumors cropped up again Monday at the NFL draft meeting in Philadelphia. "Whether I retire or not depends on a lot of things," said Rote. "I'm working on a two-year contract that expires at the end of the season. A lot depends on what's in the new contract. I'm not coming back for peanuts or to sit on the bench." Rote, who leads the NFL in passes attempted with 234, passed completed with 112, total yards gained passing with 1,702 and touchdown passes with 16, said injuries also would figure in his final decision. "My left knee was reinjured twice this year in the Rams game at Milwaukee and against the 49ers here," said the Rice alumnus. "I've been pretty lucky with it after I had an operation in college - up to now. I'm not taking anymore of a physical beating this year than usual." Rote said his wife left for their Houston home Monday and did not plan to return to Green Bay even if he did sign to play another season. "That's another factor," he said. "If I come back I'd have to be away from my family for five months and that's pretty tough." Asked whether retirement from the Packers would mean he would be through with football entirely, Rote replied: "I couldn't answer that. If some Canadian team came through with an offer I couldn't pass up, I'd probably play. I don't want to be one of those contract-time problems, but after all I have to consider my family. If I quit I have a good job with a motor freight line waiting for me in Houston. Before the season started, I definitely intended to retire after our last game. Folks up here were going to have a 'day' for me, but Liz (Coach Lisle Blackbourn) told them not to retire me too fast. So far he hasn't said anything to me. I'd kinda like to play at least one more season, but that depends."
HORNUNG TICKLED OVER CHOICE
NOVEMBER 27 (Milwaukee Sentinel) - Notre Dame's Paul Hornung and Michigan's Ron Kramer were as happy to be picked so high in the NFL draft Monday as the Packers were to get them. "I'm tickled to death about being the bonus choice," said Hornung, the 6-2, 210 pound quarterback who has sparkled for the Irish this season despite their mediocre record. "I was just talking to Coach Druze (Marquette's John Druze) tonight, and he told me how wonderful all the fans are to the Packers in Green Bay," said Hornung via telephone from South Bend. He revealed the Packers had told him a week ago they would choose him if lucky enough to win the bonus pick. "I saw them beat Detroit on TV and they really looked good," Paul commented. Hornung said he definitely intended to play professional football, but his choice between the Packers and a Canadian team would have to await specific offers. He reported a Vancouver official contacted him Monday night and a Toronto official talked with him previously. Neither mentioned terms. The versatile star prefers to play quarterback, but "will do whatever I'm told." Speaking via telephone from Ann Arbor, Kramer said: "It's a good deal. Green Bay is close to my hometown (Detroit) so I'm happy the Packers drafted me." The rugged end had just returned from New York where he appears on a television program with other members of Collier's All-America team. Kramer said he had received a telegram from the Packers Monday informing him he had been their draft choice, but that Green Bay officials had made no contract with him previously. "Of course," he said, "I talked with Roger Zatkoff (Packer linebacker and former Michigan star) last week and I know all about the setup at Green Bay." The Packers will have to wait until next spring to sign the all-around athlete. He is captain of the Wolverine basketball team and may go out for track. He's one of the Midwest's best high jumpers and has paced the basketball team in scoring two straight years. Kramer declined to comment on whether he had been contacted by any Canadian football teams, but his tone of voice made it obvious he had. "Every player would rather be in the NFL instead of Canada," he said. "It would be an honor to play in the NFL. I like the wide open style of play. Of course, much will depend on the contract offered, and I won't discuss money until after I'm through competing here." The rugged end, who saw a little action at halfback for Michigan in practice, said he doesn't care where he plays in pro ball, but naturally prefers end. "Green Bay has a great quarterback in Tobin Rote, and they picked a dandy in Paul Hornung."