1952 NFL draft

1952 NFL draft
General information
Date(s)January 17, 1952
LocationHotel Statler
in New York City
Overview
360 total selections in 30 rounds
LeagueNFL
First selectionBill Wade, QB
Los Angeles Rams
Most selections (36)Cleveland Browns
Fewest selections (27)Detroit Lions
Hall of Famers
← 1951
1953 →

The 1952 NFL draft was held on January 17, 1952, at Hotel Statler in New York.[1][2] Selections made by New York Yanks were assigned to the new Dallas Texans.

This was the sixth year that the first overall pick was a bonus pick determined by lottery, with the previous five winners (Chicago Bears in 1947, Washington Redskins in 1948, Philadelphia Eagles in 1949, Detroit Lions in 1950, and New York Giants in 1951) ineligible from the draw;[3] it was won by the Los Angeles Rams, who selected quarterback Bill Wade.

The Washington Post sportswriter Mo Siegel later claimed that Washington Redskins owner George Preston Marshall let him choose a late-round pick. Siegel, he said, chose Tennessee Tech's Flavious Smith to force the first black player onto the all-white Redskins. If true, Marshall likely persuaded NFL Commissioner Bert Bell to remove the choice from the official records. (Smith, who did not hear the story until years later, was white.)[4]

  1. ^ Salomone, Dan (October 2, 2014). "NFL Draft headed to Chicago in 2015". Giants.com. New York Giants. Archived from the original on September 30, 2015. Retrieved June 3, 2015.
  2. ^ "Rams Grab Wade In N.F.L Draft". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. No. Newspapers.com. January 17, 1952. Retrieved June 3, 2015.
  3. ^ "Draft History: 1940's". Pro Football Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on October 1, 2013. Retrieved October 16, 2013.
  4. ^ Merron, Jeff (April 18, 2005). "The strangest NFL draft moments". ESPN. Retrieved December 18, 2014.