Fantasy Sports History: The Full First GOPPPL Draft
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.
Tags: andy mousalimas, bill winkenbach, fantasy football, fantasy sports, fantasy sports business, fantasy sports history, fantasy sports industry, gopppl, scotty stirling
August 13th, 2010 at 3:26 pm
[...] to play quarterback, and then again later as another team’s kicker. Those who look over the original draft will notice 11 players (in italics) who appeared on multiple [...]
September 7th, 2010 at 10:18 pm
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September 27th, 2010 at 2:46 pm
[...] into fantasy sports history when Andy Mousalimas and Scotty Stirling made him the first pick in the inaugural GOPPPL draft. Blanda led the league with 3,003 passing yards that season and ranked second with 24 touchdown [...]