August 6th, 2010

Fantasy Sports History: The Full First GOPPPL Draft

Friday, August 6th, 2010

As millions of people get ready for or continuously replay their next round of fantasy football drafting, it’s well worth taking a look back at the one that started them all.

The GOPPPL, the first fantasy football league on record (though no participant would ever have called it that), conducted its initial draft in 1963 in the basement of creator Bill Winkenbach. As stated below, the eight teams were run by the four founding fathers of the GOPPPL; the four other recruited owners; managers Andy Mousalimas (owner of the Bay Area’s first sports bar), Bill Downing (who would go on to serve as the president of Oakland’s Chamber of Commerce) and Ron Wolf (one-time Baltimore Colts waterboy who would eventually serve as a widely respected NFL general manager).

Although we don’t have the round-by-round recap, below is the full drafted roster for every one of those original eight fantasy football squads. Each franchise was required to pick four offensive ends, four halfbacks, two fullbacks, two quarterbacks, two returners, two kickers, two defensive backs (or linebackers) and two defensive linemen.

Fortunately for us, the experience was not too scarring for Mousalimas to admit that he and Scotty Stirling — after drafting first — claimed the first Dunce Award, the trophy given to the last-place finisher each year (though he doesn’t remember the league’s first champion).

Take a break from all those mock drafts you’ve been staring at, and take a stroll through history …

(Italics denote players drafted at more than one position, per GOPPPL rules. We’ll reproduce those rules soon on FSB.com.)

TEAM: SCOTTY STIRLING/ANDY MOUSALIMAS

Ends
Del Shofner, N.Y. Giants
Bake Turner, N.Y. Jets
Gino Cappalletti, Boston
Tony Romeo, Boston

Halfbacks
Chas Hennigan, Houston
Frank Clarke, Dallas
Don Perkins, Kansas City
Hugh McElhenny, N.Y. Giants

Quarterbacks
George Blanda, Houston
John Unitas, Baltimore

Fullbacks
John H. Johnson, Pittsburgh
Mark Smolinski, N.Y. Jets

Kickers
Gene Mingo, Denver
Tommy Brooker, Kansas City

Returners
Billy Cannon, Houston
Larry Garron, Boston

Defensive Backs
Rosey Taylor, Chicago
Gary Glick, San Diego

Defensive Linemen
Ed Husmann, Houston
Bob Dee, Boston

TEAM: GEORGE ROSS

Ends
Gary Collins, Cleveland
Dave Kocourek, San Diego
Joe Walton, N.Y. Giants
Billy Howton, Dallas

Halfbacks
Keith Lincoln, San Diego
Terry Barr, Detroit
Paul Flatley, Minnesota
Phil King, N.Y. Giants

Quarterbacks
Len Dawson, Kansas City
Babe Parilli, Boston

Fullbacks
Jim Brown, Cleveland
Jack Spikes, Kansas City

Kickers
Jim Martin, Baltimore
Mike Mercer, Oakland

Returners
Bob Suci, Houston
Gary Glick, San Diego

Defensive Backs
Fred Williamson, Oakland
Tony Banfield, Houston

Defensive Linemen
Jon Jelacic, Oakland
Mel Branch, Kansas City

TEAM: BILL WINKENBACH

Ends
Sonny Randle, St. Louis
Gail Cogdill, Detroit
Lance Alworth, San Diego
Chas Ferguson, Buffalo

Halfbacks
Tommy Mason, Minnesota
Donnie Stone, Denver
Bernie Casey, San Francisco
Billy Cannon, Houston

Quarterbacks
Tobin Rote, San Diego
Fran Tarkenton, Minnesota

Fullbacks
Larry Garron, Boston
Bill Mathis, N.Y. Jets

Kickers
Jerry Kramer, Green Bay
Ed Khayat, Washington

Returners
Abe Woodson, San Francisco
Chas Mitchell, Denver

Defensive Backs
Dave Grayson, Kansas City
Austin Gonsoulin, Denver

Defensive Linemen
Earl Faison, San Diego
Bob Petrich, San Diego

TEAM: BOB BLUM

Ends
Art Powell, Oakland
Art Graham, Boston
Pete Retzlaff, Philadelphia
Max McGee, Green Bay

Halfbacks
Frank Gifford, N.Y. Giants
Tom Moore, Green Bay
Gene Mingo, Denver
Ron Bull, Chicago

Quarterbacks
Tom Flores, Oakland
Bart Starr, Green Bay

Fullbacks
Cookie Gilchrist, Buffalo
J.D. Smith, San Francisco

Kickers
George Blanda, Houston
Tom Davis, San Francisco

Returners
Claude Gibson, Oakland
Paul Lowe, San Diego

Defensive Backs
Tommy Morrow, Oakland
Ross O’Hanley, Boston

Defensive Linemen
Dave Costa, Oakland
Jerry Mays, Kansas City

TEAM: PHIL CARMONA

Ends
Buddy Dial, Pittsburgh
Bill Miller, Buffalo
Aaron Thomas, N.Y. Giants
Ron Kramer, Green Bay

Halfbacks
Bobby Mitchell, Washington
Abner Haynes, Kansas City
Elbert Dubenion, Buffalo
Frank Jackson, Kansas City

Quarterbacks
Jack Kemp, Buffalo
Billy Wade, Chicago

Fullbacks
Bill Triplett, St. Louis
Billy Joe, Denver

Kickers
Gino Cappalletti, Boston
Jack Spikes, Kansas City

Returners
Herb Adderley, Green Bay
Bo Roberson, Oakland

Defensive Backs
Willie Wood, Green Bay
Bob Suci, Houston

Defensive Linemen
Ernie Ladd, San Diego
Chuck McMurtry, Oakland

TEAM: RALPH CASEBOLT/BILL DOWNING

Ends
Mike Ditka, Chicago
Willie Dewveall, Houston
Fred Arbanas, Kansas City
Jimmy Orr, Baltimore

Halfbacks
Bobby Joe Conrad, St. Louis
Paul Lowe, San Diego
Don Maynard, N.Y. Jets
Don Lisbon, San Francisco

Quarterbacks
Y.A. Tittle, N.Y. Giants
Ed Brown, Pittsburgh

Fullbacks
Charlie Tolar, Houston
Alan Miller, Oakland

Kickers
Lou Groza, Cleveland
George Blair, San Diego

Returners
Keith Lincoln, San Diego
Dick Christy, N.Y. Jets

Defensive Backs
Abe Woodson, San Francisco
Joe Krakoski, Oakland

Defensive Linemen
Larry Eisenhauer, Boston
Henry Schmidt, San Diego

TEAM: BILL TUNNELL

Ends
Lionel Taylor, Denver
Jim Phillips, Los Angeles
Billy Groman, Denver
Don Norton, San Diego

Halfbacks
Clem Daniels, Oakland
Tommy McDonald, Philadelphia
Lenny Moore, Baltimore
Bill Tobin, Houston

Quarterbacks
Chas Johnson, St. Louis
John McCormick, Denver

Fullbacks
Clint McClinton, Kansas City
Joe Marconi, Chicago

Kickers
Don Chandler, N.Y. Giants
Dick Guesman, N.Y. Jets

Returners
Tim Brown, Philadelphia
Bob Jancik, Houston

Defensive Backs
Dick Lynch, N.Y. Giants
Dick Harris, San Diego

Defensive Linemen
Tom Sestak, Buffalo
Bobby Bell, Kansas City

TEAM: GEORGE GLACE/RON WOLF

Ends
Chris Burford, Kansas City
Boyd Dowler, Green Bay
Ernie Warlick, Buffalo
Jerry Robinson, San Diego

Halfbacks
Tim Brown, Philadelphia
Jim Colclough, Boston
Dick Hoak, Pittsburgh
Dan Lewis, Detroit

Quarterbacks
Frank Ryan, Cleveland
Dick Wood, N.Y. Jets

Fullbacks
Jim Taylor, Green Bay
Alex Webster, N.Y. Giants

Kickers
Lou Michaels, Pittsburgh
Mack Yoho, Buffalo

Returners
Frank Jackson, Kansas City
Charley Frazier, Houston

Defensive Backs
Bob Zeman, Denver
Claude Gibson, Oakland

Defensive Linemen
Dalva Allen, Oakland
Houston Antwine, Boston

Special thanks to Andy Mousalimas for supplying this data.

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