April 21 in Pats History: The 1st QB12 (PatFanKen may remember); '91, '96, '01 & '02 drafts

[jmt57]

Today in Patriots History
Local QB is First Patriot to Wear #12​

Happy birthday to Don Allard, who would have turned 85 today
Born April 21, 1936 in Cambridge
Died May 4, 2002 at age 66 in Winchester
Patriot QB, 1962; uniform #12
Signed as a free agent on or about July 1, 1961

Don Allard grew up in Somerville and spent three years as the quarterback at Boston College. At Chestnut Hill his favorite target was future Patriot WR Jim Colclough. Washington selected Allard as the fourth overall pick in the 1959 draft; that was the earliest an Eagle was ever drafted for an incredible span of 49 years, until the Falcons drafted Matt Ryan. The Saskatchewan Roughriders also drafted Allard and offered him almost double the money that Washington did, so he headed north to play in the CFL.

Allard played out his option so that he could join the Patriots in their first year of the AFL, but Montreal thwarted that idea when they picked him up on waivers. A year later he was released, but by that time the Pats were no longer interested. The New York Titans signed him in '61, and then Allard finally joined the Patriots in 1962. He appeared in only four games for his hometown team, with no stats.

In the sixties Allard played locally in semi-pro leagues. He quarterbacked the Boston (then New New Bedford) Sweepers to back-to-back titles in the old Atlantic Coast Football League, and finished his career in 1969 with the Quincy Giants of the ACFL. For a more detailed bio, check out The Secret Career of Don Allard.

And if you ever want to stump your friends with a bit of Patriot franchise history there is this: Allard was the first player in Pats team history to wear uniform number 12.

If you are the least bit interested in the history of football in the New England area - which you probably are, or else you wouldn't be reading this thread - I very highly recommend that you take a few minutes to read the article below. Great tidbits on how NFL owners operated in the days before free agency, as well as information on the Atlantic Coast Football League ( minor league football operation in the northeast) and the semi-pro New England Football Conference. PatFanKen surely has more tales to share about the ACFL.


The Secret Career of Don Allard

​

Don Allard (1987) - Varsity Club Hall of Fame - Boston College Athletics

• A skilled and versatile athlete, he ran and passed with equal ease from his quarterback position. He also made major contributions as a punter, defensive safety, and punt and kickoff return specialist.
• He established Boston College records for the longest scoring play (a 92-yard touchdown pass) and longest interception return (100 yards).
• He was a first-round draft selection of the Washington Redskins but elected to play professional football in Canada, and later with the AFL's New York Titans and Boston Patriots.
• Inducted into the Boston College Varsity Club Athletic Hall of Fame in 1987.

Don Allard Obituary

After he retired from his football career, Mr. Allard was the chief probation officer at the Middlesex Superior Court and was recognized as the youngest chief in the department's history. He retired in 1993.​

Mr. Allard served as a high school and collegiate official of both basketball and football. In 1978, he was recognized as the president of the New England Football Officials.​

He was active in the local NFL alumni charity "Caring for Kids."​

Happy birthday to Rip Hawkins, who would have turned 82 today
Born April 21, 1939 in Winchester, Tennessee
Died July 28, 2015 at the age of 76
Pats 2nd round (12th overall) selection of the 1961 AFL draft

The Boston Patriots selected the linebacker from UNC in the second round, 12th overall in the 1961 draft. Unfortunately for the Pats he never played for them; he signed with Minnesota, who had also drafted him in the second round in their inaugural NFL season.

Ross 'Rip' Hawkins was a starting middle linebacker for all five of his NFL seasons with the Vikings. Despite his youth Hawkins was named Minnesota's captain on defense as a rookie. The Pro Bowler had twelve career interceptions, including five in his first season.

After his playing career, Hawkins was an assistant district attorney in Atlanta, owned a metallurgic business in Minneapolis, and moved to Denver where he worked for an oil company. Later he moved to Wyoming and ran a 700 acre ranch. Hawkins remained active until just before his death, often going on 30 mile bike rides. At the end of his life Hawkins was diagnosed with Lewy-body dementia, which is the second most common type of progressive dementia after Alzheimer’s disease.

 

[jmt57]

Today in Patriots History
Pats Trade the #1 Overall Pick Away​

April 21, 1991: Day One of the 1991 NFL Draft (rounds 1-4), at the Marriott Marquis in NYC

• The 1990 Patriots finished 1-15 in Rod Rust's final season as a head coach. VP of Player Operations Joe Mendes and new HC **** MacPherson opted to upgrade many positions rather than swing for a home run, and traded down. Three days prior to the draft the Pats traded down ten spots to #11 with Dallas, while also getting a Cowboys 2nd (#41) and three veterans (Ron Francis, David Howard and Eugene Lockhart). It was a terrible trade on face value; the Pats should have either received more draft capital (such as a 1992 1st) or better players (none of those three were ever named to a Pro Bowl). Mendes would be fired a year later.
• 
  
• 1.11 -- OT Pat Harlow, USC
• Five years w/Pats; started 64 consecutive games at RT
• 
  
• Traded up with Houston, giving the Oilers 2.28 and 4.101 to move up 11 spots to 1.17
• Traded up with Dallas, giving the Cowboys a 4th (#110) to move up three spots from the 1.17 above to 1.14
• 1.14 -- RB Leonard Russell, Arizona State
• Offensive Rookie of the Year in '91, but then tailed off; 2,437 yards rushing with 13 TD in 3 seasons w/Pats
• 
  
• 2.41 -- CB Jerome Henderson, Clemson
• 40 games (10 starts) with 7 interceptions over four seasons with the Pats
• 
  
• 3.56 -- G Calvin Stephens, South Carolina
• '91: on IR; '92: 13 games, one start; waived in '93 training camp
• 
  
• 4.84 -- QB Scott Zolak, Maryland
• Zo had seven starts over seven season with Patriots, with 8 TD and 7 picks

While Day One was somewhat underwhelming (more so considering they started with the first pick of each round), they would make up for that somewhat the next day in round five.

 

[jmt57]

Today in Patriots History
Myra Says No​

April 21, 1996: The Christian Peter fiasco
The Patriots traded down the previous day, adding two draft picks by sending 2.57 back to the Raiders, in exchange for 3.76, 4.124, and 5.149. The most notable part of this exchange is that the Pats infamously selected Christian Peter with the last of those three picks. A week later he would be cut due to pressure by Myra Kraft and women's organizations after it was revealed in the Boston media that while at Nebraska he had pled guilty to groping one woman in a bar, another accused him of sexually assaulting her, and just a month before the draft he was convicted of disturbing the peace after choking a woman in a bar. Christian Peter thus became the first player in NFL history to be drafted and then waived prior to training camp.

Day Two of the 1996 NFL Draft (rounds 4-7):

• 4.101 -- G Heath Irwin, Colorado
• 3 seasons w/Pats (44 games, 17 starts); 6 NFL seasons (87 games, 29 starts)
• 4.119 -- DT Chris Sullivan, Boston College [2nd of 3 picks rcvd by trading down in 3rd round with Detroit]
• 4 seasons w/Pats (63 games, 20 starts); 5 NFL seasons (78 games, 22 starts)
• 4.124 -- RB Kantroy Barber, West Virginia [2nd of 3 picks rcvd by trading down in 2nd round with Oakland]
• 1 season w/Pats on IR; 2 NFL games played
• 5.139 -- G John Elmore, Texas
• waived in training camp; zero NFL games played
• 5.149 -- DT Christian Peter, Nebraska [3rd of 3 picks rcvd by trading down in 2nd round with Oakland]
• waived (see above); 81 games with 34 starts over 5 NFL seasons
• 6.173 -- TE Chris Griffin, New Mexico
• waived in training camp; zero NFL games played
• 6.195 -- RB Marrio Grier, Tennessee-Chattanooga [3rd of 3 picks rcvd by trading down in 3rd round with Detroit]
• 2 seasons w/ Pats (32 games, 0 starts)
• 6.206 -- DE Devin Wyman, Kentucky State [compensatory pick]
• 2 seasons w/Pats (15 games, 4 starts)
• 7.216 -- TE Lovett Purnell, West Virginia
• 3 seasons w/Pats (34 games, 7 starts)
• 7.247 -- OT J.R. Conrad, Oklahoma [compensatory pick]
• waived in '96 and '97 training camps; one season (12 games, 1 start) with Jets

Despite all the media attention regarding the draft being focused almost exclusively on Peter, this was a fantastic draft for the Patriots.
In addition to the five later draft picks bolded above, the previous day the Pats had selected Terry Glenn, Lawyer Milloy and Tedy Bruschi, and would later sign Adam Vinatieri as an undrafted rookie free agent.

 

[jmt57]

Today in Patriots History
2001 NFL Draft​

April 21, 2001: Day One of the 2001 NFL Draft (rounds 1-3), at the Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City

• 1.6 --- DT Richard Seymour, Georgia
• Pats Hall of Fame and 50th Anniversary Team; NFL All-Decade Team of the 2000s; 3x 1st Team All Pro, 7x Pro Bowl; 3 SB rings
• 
  
• Traded down 11 spots, sending 2.39 to Pittsburgh for 2.50 and 4.112
• Traded up 2 spots (ahead of Jets), sending 2.50 and 6.173 to Detroit for 2.48
• 2.48 -- OT Matt Light, Purdue
• Pats Hall of Fame, 50th Anniversary Team and All-Decade Team of the 2000s; 1x 1st Team All Pro, 3x Pro Bowl; 3 SB rings
• 
  
• Traded down 17 spots, sending 3.69 to Minnesota for 3.86 and 4.119
• 3.86 -- DB Brock Williams, Notre Dame
• Tore ACL, spent '01 on IR; on practice squad in '02. Active for just one game w/Pats, but never got on the field.

The productivity from the Seymour and Light selections more than make up for any 2001 draft busts.



On a side note, it is amazing how many early picks from the 2001 draft would at some point sign with the Patriots.
Half of the top-8 picks, seven first rounders and ten of the top fifty.

• 1.3 -- DT Gerard Warren (2010 - 2012 offseason)
• 1.6 -- Richard Seymour
• 1.7 -- DE Andre Carter (2011 and 2013)
• 1.8 -- WR David Terrell (2005 offseason)
• 1.13 - DT Marcus Stroud (2011 offseason)
• 1.22 - CB Will Allen (2012; IR)
• 1.30 - WR Reggie Wayne (2015 offseason)
• 2.35 - TE Alge Crumpler (2010 - 2011 offseason)
• 2.36 - WR Chad Johnson (2011 - 2012 offseason)
• 2.48 - Matt Light

 

[jmt57]

Today in Patriots History
2002 Day Two Draft picks​

April 21, 2002: Day Two of the 2002 NFL Draft (rounds 4-7)
The previous day the Pats had selected TE Daniel Graham and WR Deion Branch, so the '02 draft was off to a good start.
Pats trade up for a third time, moving up 14 spots by sending 4.131 and 5.144 to Denver for 4.117

• 4.117 -- QB Rohan Davey, LSU
• Why not only draft a QB this early, but also trade up to do so after SB 36 and the 2001 season?
• 
  
• 4.126 -- (this pick and a 2003 4th came from 3/8/02 trade with Green Bay, for WR Terry Glenn)
• 4.126 -- DE Jarvis Green, LSU
• 121 games played over 8 seasons with Pats; 28 sacks, two Super Bowl championships
• 
  
• 4.131 -- previously used in trade up for Rohan
• 
  
• 5.144 -- previously used in trade up for Rohan
• 
  
• 6.168 -- traded down to Dallas, for 7.237 and a 2003 5th
• 
  
• 6.205 -- traded to St Louis for WR Dane Looker
• Pats waived Looker early on 7/31/02; he would re-sign with the Rams, and play there until 2008
• 
  
• 7.234 -- previously used in trade up for Daniel Graham
• 
  
• 7.237 -- RB Antwoine Womack, Virginia
• Placed on NFI 8/27/02, and released 8/24/03; zero NFL games
• 
  
• 7.244 -- WR David Givens, Notre Dame
• 7 playoff touchdowns to go along with 12 in the regular season over four years with the Pats

With the benefit of hindsight the trade ups and Davey selection were questionable choices, but overall this was a great draft.
I'll take the production from Branch, Givens, Green and Graham out of any draft, any day, any year.

 

[jmt57]

Today in Patriots History
Other 4/21 Local Connections​

Two other pro football players with a New England connection were born on this date:

Ken Strong
4/21/1906 - 10/5/1979
Elmer Kenneth Strong Jr. was born and raised in West Haven CT. He is the all-time scoring leader for the Staten Island Stapletons (seriously, I'm not making that up; that was a real team). The three-time All-Pro halfback/kicker spent 12 years in the NFL (mostly with the New York Giants) and three more in the original American Football League. Hawkins was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1967 and his #50 jersey is retired by the Giants.

Jeff Smith
Happy 24th birthday (April 21, 1997)
Jeffrey Allan Smith II grew up in Pinellas County, Florida, and went to a high school that was literally walking distance from where I lived up until a few weeks ago. Jeff went from here to Boston College, where he transitioned from a freshman QB to a WR for the next three years. Smith was signed by the Jets as an undrafted rookie two years ago, but has landed on IR twice due to an ankle injury in 2019, and a shoulder injury last year. Between those ailments Smith has appeared in 13 games, with 18 receptions.

 

[captain stone]

Today in Patriots History
Myra Says No​

April 21, 1996: The Christian Peter fiasco
The Patriots traded down the previous day, adding two draft picks by sending 2.57 back to the Raiders, in exchange for 3.76, 4.124, and 5.149. The most notable part of this exchange is that the Pats infamously selected Christian Peter with the last of those three picks. A week later he would be cut due to pressure by Myra Kraft and women's organizations after it was revealed in the Boston media that while at Nebraska he had pled guilty to groping one woman in a bar, another accused him of sexually assaulting her, and just a month before the draft he was convicted of disturbing the peace after choking a woman in a bar. Christian Peter thus became the first player in NFL history to be drafted and then waived prior to training camp.

Day Two of the 1996 NFL Draft (rounds 4-7):

• 4.101 -- G Heath Irwin, Colorado
• 3 seasons w/Pats (44 games, 17 starts); 6 NFL seasons (87 games, 29 starts)
• 4.119 -- DT Chris Sullivan, Boston College [2nd of 3 picks rcvd by trading down in 3rd round with Detroit]
• 4 seasons w/Pats (63 games, 20 starts); 5 NFL seasons (78 games, 22 starts)
• 4.124 -- RB Kantroy Barber, West Virginia [2nd of 3 picks rcvd by trading down in 2nd round with Oakland]
• 1 season w/Pats on IR; 2 NFL games played
• 5.139 -- G John Elmore, Texas
• waived in training camp; zero NFL games played
• 5.149 -- DT Christian Peter, Nebraska [3rd of 3 picks rcvd by trading down in 2nd round with Oakland]
• waived (see above); 81 games with 34 starts over 5 NFL seasons
• 6.173 -- TE Chris Griffin, New Mexico
• waived in training camp; zero NFL games played
• 6.195 -- RB Marrio Grier, Tennessee-Chattanooga [3rd of 3 picks rcvd by trading down in 3rd round with Detroit]
• 2 seasons w/ Pats (32 games, 0 starts)
• 6.206 -- DE Devin Wyman, Kentucky State [compensatory pick]
• 2 seasons w/Pats (15 games, 4 starts)
• 7.216 -- TE Lovett Purnell, West Virginia
• 3 seasons w/Pats (34 games, 7 starts)
• 7.247 -- OT J.R. Conrad, Oklahoma [compensatory pick]
• waived in '96 and '97 training camps; one season (12 games, 1 start) with Jets

Despite all the media attention regarding the draft being focused almost exclusively on Peter, this was a fantastic draft for the Patriots.
In addition to the five later draft picks bolded above, the previous day the Pats had selected Terry Glenn, Lawyer Milloy and Tedy Bruschi, and would later sign Adam Vinatieri as an undrafted rookie free agent.

Ten picks...and not one of them re-signed after their rookie contracts expired...Heck only one of them even made it to the end of his rookie contract at all...Folks in the FO that day must've been distracted from the shenanigans of the previous day, even while Glenn, Milloy & Bruschi were being drafted...

 

[captain stone]

Today in Patriots History
Pats Trade the #1 Overall Pick Away​

April 21, 1991: Day One of the 1991 NFL Draft (rounds 1-4), at the Marriott Marquis in NYC

• The 1990 Patriots finished 1-15 in Rod Rust's final season as a head coach. VP of Player Operations Joe Mendes and new HC **** MacPherson opted to upgrade many positions rather than swing for a home run, and traded down. Three days prior to the draft the Pats traded down ten spots to #11 with Dallas, while also getting a Cowboys 2nd (#41) and three veterans (Ron Francis, David Howard and Eugene Lockhart). It was a terrible trade on face value; the Pats should have either received more draft capital (such as a 1992 1st) or better players (none of those three were ever named to a Pro Bowl). Mendes would be fired a year later.
• 
  
• 1.11 -- OT Pat Harlow, USC
• Five years w/Pats; started 64 consecutive games at RT
• 
  
• Traded up with Houston, giving the Oilers 2.28 and 4.101 to move up 11 spots to 1.17
• Traded up with Dallas, giving the Cowboys a 4th (#110) to move up three spots from the 1.17 above to 1.14
• 1.14 -- RB Leonard Russell, Arizona State
• Offensive Rookie of the Year in '91, but then tailed off; 2,437 yards rushing with 13 TD in 3 seasons w/Pats
• 
  
• 2.41 -- CB Jerome Henderson, Clemson
• 40 games (10 starts) with 7 interceptions over four seasons with the Pats
• 
  
• 3.56 -- G Calvin Stephens, South Carolina
• '91: on IR; '92: 13 games, one start; waived in '93 training camp
• 
  
• 4.84 -- QB Scott Zolak, Maryland
• Zo had seven starts over seven season with Patriots, with 8 TD and 7 picks

While Day One was somewhat underwhelming (more so considering they started with the first pick of each round), they would make up for that somewhat the next day in round five.

So I have Joe Mendes to "thank" for having Zolak in the 6-state region all these years?

 

[captain stone]

Today in Patriots History
2002 Day Two Draft picks​

April 21, 2002: Day Two of the 2002 NFL Draft (rounds 4-7)
The previous day the Pats had selected TE Daniel Graham and WR Deion Branch, so the '02 draft was off to a good start.
Pats trade up for a third time, moving up 14 spots by sending 4.131 and 5.144 to Denver for 4.117

• 4.117 -- QB Rohan Davey, LSU
• Why not only draft a QB this early, but also trade up to do so after SB 36 and the 2001 season?
• 
  
• 4.126 -- (this pick and a 2003 4th came from 3/8/02 trade with Green Bay, for WR Terry Glenn)
• 4.126 -- DE Jarvis Green, LSU
• 121 games played over 8 seasons with Pats; 28 sacks, two Super Bowl championships
• 
  
• 4.131 -- previously used in trade up for Rohan
• 
  
• 5.144 -- previously used in trade up for Rohan
• 
  
• 6.168 -- traded down to Dallas, for 7.237 and a 2003 5th
• 
  
• 6.205 -- traded to St Louis for WR Dane Looker
• Pats waived Looker early on 7/31/02; he would re-sign with the Rams, and play there until 2008
• 
  
• 7.234 -- previously used in trade up for Daniel Graham
• 
  
• 7.237 -- RB Antwoine Womack, Virginia
• Placed on NFI 8/27/02, and released 8/24/03; zero NFL games
• 
  
• 7.244 -- WR David Givens, Notre Dame
• 7 playoff touchdowns to go along with 12 in the regular season over four years with the Pats

With the benefit of hindsight the trade ups and Davey selection were questionable choices, but overall this was a great draft.
I'll take the production from Branch, Givens, Green and Graham out of any draft, any day, any year.

Too bad Bill didn't keep Looker; that would've made day 2 even more productive, in spite of his silly, short-sighted trade-up for the Rohan...

 

[jmt57]

Too bad Bill didn't keep Looker; that would've made day 2 even more productive, in spite of his silly, short-sighted trade-up for the Rohan...

Yeah, the idea of using a 4th round pick on a QB that year was baffling in and of itself, never mind trading up in order to do so. Brady had just turned 25 a few days prior to the draft, was coming off a Super Bowl win, and the decision to go with Tom over Drew had been made six months earlier. Sign some journeyman with experience as your backup/injury insurance QB, and use the 4th on another position.

Also keep in mind that the previous day the Patriots had another trade up, this time in round one - only to then pass on Ed Reed, and draft Daniel Graham instead.