1952 AFL Draft

 

The 8 AFL owners gathered in a conference room in the historic Blackstone Hotel in Chicago for the first ever Player Selection Meeting on January 18, 1952. A few of the top players were in attendance, along with some media personnel to relay the information to newspaper and radio companies of the teams’ cities. After some final deliberations between teams, Commissioner Hasenkamp gave a final few words before stepping aside to let team representatives announce their picks for the draft, starting with Detroit with the first pick. 


Round 1

1 - Detroit - WR Paul Kent - Washington State - DireBear

2 - Columbus - RB Rip Rooney - Chicago Christian - Dan O’Mac

3 - Cleveland - OL Charles Harvester - North Carolina - idm

4 - Detroit (From TRI) - OL Kelly Molesworth - Michigan - Wallflower

5 - Pittsburgh - LB Barry Moore - Wisconsin State - idm

6 - Buffalo - DL Larry Corn - Rogers Clark - Dan O’Mac

7 - Cincinnati - DB Bobby Richmond - U. Cleveland - DireBear

8 - Chicago - LB Barry Reynolds - Illinois - Wallflower


Most would have thought that Rip Rooney would be going first overall, but the Knights had already extended RB Jeffery Holmes the previous year, so instead they replaced the open hole they traded away by taking WR Paul Kent. Kent’s ability to catch almost anything and outrun a majority of defenders made him one of the top prospects available, even if he has some temper issues while on the field. RB Rip Rooney didn’t wait long to get picked, as he got dealt to Columbus, who were looking for an upgrade at the RB spot and couldn’t pass up the Bernheim winner. Rooney  could just about run through anyone, and if he couldn’t run a defender over he'd just use his surprising speed to get away from them. The next two picks would be OL Charles Harvester and OL Kelly Molesworth to Cleveland and Detroit, respectively, who didn’t like the top options and wanted to improve the offensive line. Harvester was one of the best all-around linemen, and the Knights selected Molesworth over top option Phillip Lee because Molesworth was better at run blocking than pass blocking, and the fact he played local. LB Barry Moore had the honor of being the first defensive player taken in the draft, with Pittsburgh selecting him because of his football smarts, with some saying he is better at knowing the offensive plays better than the other offensive players. The Hammers selected DL Larry Corn, who needed a great all-rounder like him to pair with their other linemen. The remaining two teams this round also selected positions of great need, with Cincinnati selecting workhorse DB Bobby Richmond and Chicago taking LB Barry Reynolds to improve their linebacking core with his run stopping ability.



Round 2

9 - Detroit - OL Phillip Lee - Pittsburgh State - idm

10 - Columbus - LB Howard Treadaway - U. Cleveland - ZO82

11 - Cleveland - DL Karl Lowery - Louisiana - DireBear

12 - Tri-Cities - WR Max Ausloos - U. Tri-Cities - Dan O’Mac

13 - Cincinnati (from PIT) - DL Dave Patricia - Wisconsin State - idm

14 - Buffalo - QB Adrian Alfonso - Philadelphia State - Darknes

15 - Cincinnati - WR Jim Ferris - Chicago Christian - DireBear

16 - Chicago - OL Bart Pangle - Indiana Tech - Wallflower


Detroit took another offensive lineman to begin the second round, taking the biggest steal so far with OL Phillip Lee dropping into the second. The first quarterback shockingly fell into the second round, as Buffalo selected Adrian Alfonso as a potential successor to their starting QB Don Melton. The Hawks made their first selection this round, taking local WR Max Ausloos to revitalize their aging offensive core.


Round 3

17 - Detroit - DL Gordon Spijker - Macatawa State* - Wallflower

18 - Columbus - OL Greg Campbell - Pittsburgh State - Kingsfan11

19 - Tri-Cities (from CLE) - RB Spike Roosevelt - Michigan - Darknes

20 - Detroit (from TRI) - DB Lynn Sharp - Colorado State - DireBear

21 - Pittsburgh - QB O.J. DeMille - Chicago Christian - idm

22 - Buffalo - DB Joe Dudley - Colorado State - DireBear

23 - Cincinnati - QB Addison Golden - Nebraska State - Kingsfan11

24 - Chicago - S Carl Allyn - Chicago Christian - Wallflower


The Knights continued on taking local talent, selecting DL Gordon Spijker out of Macatawa State, who was the best player coming out of the Lower Division of the AACA. Tri-Cities made the first trade in the draft, gaining the 19th pick from Cleveland in exchange for DB Barry Roach. The Hawks were not satisfied with his play last season, especially giving up the game-winning touchdown against the Rivermen that cost them a trip to the championship last year. Tri-Cities would select their replacement for Herman Gibbons, and selected RB Spike Roosevelt, who was expected to be a top 5 pick but slid all the way down into the third. 

Two quarterbacks were selected this round, with O.J. DeMille went to Pittsburgh as a potential replacement to their aging QB options, and Addison Golden became a backup in Cincinnati to new starter Lester Parker.

 


 

Round 4

25 - Detroit - OL Jack Enderle - Chicago Christian - Wallflower

26 - Columbus - TE Bill Danowski - Iowa A&M - Wallflower

27 - Cleveland - WR Jerry O’Keefe - Massachusetts State - idm

28 - Tri-Cities - DB Karl Bach - Kentucky Commonwealth - idm

29 - Pittsburgh - RB Maxwell Starks - Ohio - ZO82

30 - Buffalo - LB Stefan Stauer - Wisconsin State - idm

31 - Cincinnati - RB Pete Abbott - Michigan -idm

32 - Chicago - OL Lawrence Acker - Wisconsin State - Wallflower


Two players that were in the top 20 players fell down into the fourth, as TE Bill Danowksi slid down from #17 to #26 when he was selected by Columbus to compete for the starting TE spot, and two picks later #20 ranked RB Maxwell Starks was selected 29th overall by Pittsburgh as a backup and potential successor to RB Marion Waters. After trading away a DB the previous round, the Hawks spent their pick on Karl Bach to gain some depth in the secondary before their defensive stars retire. Other notable picks include WR Jerry O’Keefe going to Cleveland, becoming the first player from the Northeast to be drafted into the Midwestern-based league, potentially paving the way for a more national draft in the future.


Round 5

33 - Detroit - WR Spencer Ficklin - Central Michigan - idm

34 - Columbus - OL Kevin Lowder - New York State - idm

35 - Cleveland - QB Steve Doerr - Kentucky Commonwealth - Dan O’Mac

36 - Tri-Cities - S Tom Meltzger - Wisconsin State - idm

37 - Pittsburgh - DB Kevin Prince - Miami Valley State* - Dan O’Mac

38 - Buffalo - DL Lothar Einhorn - Rogers Clark - ZO82

39 - Cincinnati - QB Maurice Hawkins - U. Buffalo - Kingsfan11

40 - Chicago - RB Joseph Parker - Wisconsin State - Rugrat


The final two quarterbacks available went in the last round, with Steve Doerr backing up second-year starter Ronnie Hart in Cleveland, and Maurice Hawkins joined the Rivermen and their many options at backups behind Lester Parker. Chicago would have the final pick of the first draft, strengthening their running back depth by taking Joseph Parker from Wisconsin State.



Undrafted

S Perry Fink - U. Tucson - DireBear | Buffalo

RB Tyler Dye - Missouri - idm | Buffalo

RB Darnell Hodge - Chicago Christian - Kingsfan11 | Pittsburgh

S Marshall Ledger - U. Kansas City - idm | Pittsburgh

RB Max Panders - Ohio - Wallflower | Cleveland

TE Donnie Leblanc - Miami State - DireBear | Buffalo

LB Gene Archer - Toledo State* - DireBear | Tri-Cities

K Bryan Birch - Wisconsin State - Wallflower | Pittsburgh

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