Packers team historian Cliff Christl has assembled an oral history series on the NFL Draft, highlighting significant and noteworthy years as a prelude to Green Bay hosting the 2025 draft in late April. New installments will be posted most weekdays. For access to the full series thus far, click here.
1957
The first four rounds of the 22nd annual NFL Draft were held Nov. 26, 1956, at the Warwick Hotel in Philadelphia. The final 26 rounds were held on Jan. 31, 1957, at the Bellevue-Stratford Hotel in Philadelphia.
The second phase was held on the first day of the league's annual meeting and called to order at 10:15 a.m. A recess was taken at 5:45 p.m., following the 19th round. The draft resumed at 8 p.m. and ended at 11:45 p.m. The league meeting ran through Feb. 3.
It was the second straight year that the draft was split into two phases. The purpose of it was to counter Canadian Football League teams that were attempting to get a jump on signing top American football talent.
First round includes four future Hall of Famers
Four of the 13 first-round selections have been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Of the other nine, seven were selected for at least one Pro Bowl when the head coaches picked the teams, and four of those seven also were named Associated Press All-Pro. Of the two that didn't play in a Pro Bowl, both started on an NFL championship team.
Among the Hall of Famers, three were also named NFL MVPs. Nine of the 13 played at least 10 seasons and not one of them played fewer than eight.
To say that the 1957 NFL Draft was one of the most talent-rich in history would be an understatement.
The Hall of Famers were college quarterback and future pro halfback Paul Hornung of Notre Dame, the bonus or No. 1 choice; quarterback Len Dawson of Purdue, picked fifth overall; college halfback and future fullback Jim Brown of Syracuse, taken sixth; and tackle Jim Parker of Ohio State, selected eighth.
Among the others who were Pro Bowl selections were halfback Jon Arnett, Southern Cal, drafted second overall; quarterback John Brodie, Stanford, third; offensive end Ron Kramer, Michigan, fourth; fullback Don Bosseler, Miami (Fla.), ninth; linebacker Jerry Tubbs, Oklahoma, 10th; offensive end Del Shofner, Baylor, 11th; and defensive end Bill Glass, Baylor, 12th.
Arnett and Shofner were each named to five Pro Bowls; Glass, four; Brodie, two; and Kramer, Bosseler and Tubbs, one each.
Brown was named the NFL's MVP three times; Hornung, once, plus he was named MVP of the 1961 NFL Championship Game; and Brodie, once.
Clarence Peaks, drafted seventh out of Michigan State, was the starting fullback for Philadelphia and the NFL's fourth leading rusher through the seventh game of the 1960 season, when the Eagles won the NFL title. A broken leg at that point ended Peaks' season. Earl Leggett, chosen 13th out of Louisiana State, was a starting defensive tackle when the Chicago Bears won the 1963 NFL championship.
Dawson played 19 seasons; Brodie, 17; Parker, Shofner, Glass and Leggett, 11 each; Arnett, Kramer and Tubbs, 10 each; Hornung, Brown and Peaks, nine each; and Bosseler, eight.
The 1957 draft was the first to produce four first-round Hall of Famers when Dawson was inducted in 1987.
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Draft kings Lisle Blackbourn & Jack Vainisi
From 1951 to 1960, except for 1953 when he was hospitalized with a heart condition, Jack Vainisi was virtually a one-man personnel department for the Green Bay Packers. Having lettered at Notre Dame, Vainisi had a football background, but he also worked for a team with limited funds.
Thus, he did little scouting during the football season and relied heavily on a network of college coaches and Packers alumni to feed him reports on prospects. In turn, thanks to his organizational skills and work ethic, Vainisi was able to assimilate the information he gathered and be as well organized as anyone in the room on draft day.
Hugh Devore, former Notre Dame coach, Packers assistant and Philadelphia Eagles head coach (Christl interview, circa late 1970s): "(Vainisi) was conscientious. If you ever met the guy, you had to like him. And he was enthusiastic. I don't care where he went or who he met, you had to love the guy."
Vainisi explained his operation in a television interview with WBAY's Bob Houle in 1958 and made the following points.
Vainisi: "We have information in this office on about every college football player who is going to play or is playing football in the United States right now. … We have about 18 books compiled on ballplayers this year."
Vainisi: "Under our system, we have around 30 coaches in the country working for us. …fellas who are working for us are Baby Ray from Vanderbilt, Abner Wimberly from LSU. … We try as often as possible to get ex-Packer players."
Vainisi: "Then we have to get our records from our different coaches working for us. (Packers assistant) Jack Morton … Andy Zubel (line coach) from Houston … Bill Beall, (assistant) coach at Rice … Darrell Royal, coach at the University of Texas. Mike Michalske, one of our former greats and one of the boys I rely on very much. … Then our final report … is from someone on the boy's staff or is familiar with the boy."
Vainisi: "Under our operation in spring, our coaching staff is divided into five sections. Ray Richards is responsible for the Pacific Coast, Jack Morton one section, Nick Skorich another, Breezy Reid. … About a month ago, I broke down the top 100, 150 ballplayers in the United States whom I considered for our first draft."
Although the Packers' head coaches had final say in the draft room, Vainisi's preparation contributed to some of the best drafts in NFL history.
From 1951-53, when Gene Ronzani was the coach and called the shots on draft day, the Packers selected safety Bobby Dillon and defensive tackle Dave Hanner in 1952; and linebacker Bill Forester and center Jim Ringo in 1953. All four players later contributed to the Packers' success under Vince Lombardi.
But it was when Lisle Blackbourn replaced Ronzani and started making the picks that the Packers had a string of three drafts that formed the nucleus of Lombardi's championship teams.
They landed six future Pro Football Hall of Famers, including tackle Forrest Gregg (second round) and quarterback Bart Starr (17th round) in 1956; Hornung in '57; and Jim Taylor second round), Ray Nitschke (third round) and Jerry Kramer (fourth round) in 1958.
In addition, Blackbourn selected three other Packers Hall of Famers during that period: tackle Bob Skoronski, cornerback-safety Hank Gremminger and linebacker Dan Currie.
Although he was an old-school coach with a biting tongue that turned off many of his players, Blackbourn had a keen eye for talent. In fact, so much so, that Lombardi later rehired him as a scout.
Art Daley, who covered the Packers for the Green Bay Press-Gazette during those years, observed those drafts firsthand, starting in 1954 when the NFL invited sportswriters to sit in the ballroom as the choices were made.
Daley on the second phase of the 1959 draft following the firing of Scooter McLean and the hiring of Lombardi (Press-Gazette, Jan. 19, 1959): "The Packer selections (for the final 26 rounds) will be made by Jack Vainisi, Packer talent scout and administrative assistant. … Vainisi has worked up the Packers' draft since he joined the club in 1950 but the head coach made the selections. Jack will decide the picks Wednesday."
Blackbourn, when asked by sportswriter Bob Wolf if he felt shortchanged for not getting more acclaim for his contribution to the Packers' success in the 1960s (Milwaukee Journal, May 14, 1978): "Lombardi reminded me many times of my draft choices. He always gave me credit."
Green Bay's bonus pick: Hornung or Brown?
Five days before the start of the 1957 draft, Vainisi spoke to the Packers' Quarterback Club, a weekly in-season gathering of fans held at the WBAY auditorium in downtown Green Bay. During his talk, he said based on reports from 22 college coaches across the country, there were six players under consideration if the Packers won the bonus pick.
Here was his rundown.
Vainisi: "Kramer (6-3, 216) and Hornung (6-2½, 210) are the two finest athletes in college football today. Kramer has only one weakness. He's overanxious – he likes to kill people, which could cost you 15 yards now and then. Hornung is considered the greatest athlete in Notre Dame history."
Vainisi on Arnett (5-11, 190): "The greatest running back they've ever had – even better than the (New York) Giants' Frank Gifford."
Vainisi on Brodie (6-1, 192): "A tremendous short thrower. (He) is from a wealthy family and not sure he'd like the hard knocks of pro football."
Vainisi on Peaks (6-1, 218): "(He) is the finest back in the Big Ten – a big fellow… Only question mark with him is the fact that he has had knee surgery recently, but his doctors say he'll completely recover."
Vainisi on Brown (6-2, 212): "A great football player, perhaps the No. 1 back in the country."
Vainisi also offered one other evaluation: "Dawson has tremendous pride in his ability and is without a doubt the best passer in college football. But he won't run with the ball. He has patterned himself after Otto Graham, and it is very likely the Cleveland Browns will draft him."
Meanwhile, the same night as Vainisi's talk, Milwaukee Sentinel sportswriter Bud Lea interviewed Blackbourn in Detroit, where he was awaiting the Packers' annual Thanksgiving clash against the Lions.
Blackbourn left Lea with the impression that his choice would be either Hornung or Brown.
Blackbourn (Milwaukee Sentinel, Nov. 25, 1956): "This Hornung can do so many things well. He can pass, run, kick and could be a good defensive halfback. And Brown of Syracuse has the size and speed – the kind of a halfback we need."
The morning of the draft, the Packers won the bonus pick, when Blackbourn pulled the lucky slip of paper out of NFL Commissioner Bert Bell's hat.
Why did the Packers draft Hornung over Brown or any of their other four finalists?
Blackbourn (Press-Gazette, Nov. 26, 1956): "He has the greatest potential of all Notre Dame backs. He is a great natural athlete, a tremendous competitor, has great speed and will stand the type of punishment dealt out in the league. … He has wonderful poise and we believe in one year he will become an excellent passer. He also is quite versatile and can be used as a fullback, halfback or quarterback. Hornung is the Tobin Rote type of back, and he'll fit into the Green Bay pattern nicely."
Vainisi also favored Hornung's selection and had gathered a stack of favorable scouting reports on him, including one from a 29-year-old, first-year assistant coach at Notre Dame named Jim Finks.
Finks, future Hall of Fame general manager (Green Bay Packers scouting report, 1956): "Needs work on his passing as I reported last spring, but I feel sure he could develop into a fine passer. Real good runner & exceptional speed. I feel Paul is the best prospect I've seen. Could play halfback or fullback as well as QB."
Despite playing on a Notre Dame team that had finished 2-8, Hornung won the Heisman Trophy and finished second in the country in total offense with 1,337 yards.
But what seemed to have impressed the Packers more than anything was Hornung's overall athletic ability, something much more valued at the time by scouts than it is today. He was described as a quarterback "who plunges like a fullback" and possesses the "open-field instinct of a halfback."
In fact, after drafting Hornung, Blackbourn admitted that he wasn't sure where he'd play him. He said that at Notre Dame, Hornung had played quarterback, halfback and fullback on offense, and safety and cornerback on defense.
As a senior, Hornung played mostly quarterback and safety in the one-platoon era (1953-63) of college football. In the process, he led the Irish in scoring, rushing, passing and kickoff returns with a 31-yard average. He also finished second in tackles and had led the Irish in interceptions as a junior with five.
Philadelphia scout Bucko Kilroy on timing Hornung at the East-West Shrine Game (Sports Illustrated, Aug. 10, 1998): "Hornung ran the 50 against Abe Woodson, the Big Ten hurdles champ from Illinois. When you think of Hornung, you don't think of him being that fast. Hornung beat him by five yards."
Hornung also had lettered in basketball as a sophomore, averaging 6.1 points per game.
"The best available athlete:" Few ever fit the description better than Ron Kramer
With their own No. 1 choice, the fourth overall, the Packers again placed a premium on athleticism when they took Kramer. At Michigan, in the years before freshmen were eligible for varsity competition, he won nine letters in three years: three each in football, basketball and track.
In football, Kramer had played multiple positions in his first two years, including offensive back, linebacker, defensive back and end.
As a senior, Kramer doubled as an offensive and defensive end, and finished sixth in Heisman Trophy voting. In a pinch, he also played some fullback and linebacker, as well as being Michigan's punter and placekicker.
Prior to the season, in a remarkable performance in an all-out spring scrimmage, Kramer played halfback and rushed for 306 yards on 17 carries, including touchdown runs of 90, 71, 16, 14 and 10 yards, along with a 52-yard touchdown reception.
In basketball, Kramer led the Wolverines in scoring as a sophomore and junior before finishing second as a senior. He also was the 34th overall pick by the Detroit Pistons in the 1957 NBA draft.
In track, Kramer was a 216-pound high jumper, shot putter and discus thrower. As a sophomore and junior, the Wolverines won the Big Ten outdoor title and Kramer placed in the high jump both years.
Michigan State coach Duffy Daugherty (Collier's magazine, Dec. 7, 1956): "We never moved the ball consistently against Michigan… We couldn't even make a first down in the first half – mostly because Kramer jammed the tackle hole where we like to run. We put two blockers on him but they couldn't move him."
Iowa assistant coach Bump Elliott (1956 Green Bay Packers scouting report): "Exceptional prospect. Does everything very well. Great pass receiver. Excellent competitor."
Michigan assistant coach and chief scout Don Dufek (1956 Green Bay Packers scouting report): "1) Real great athlete. Outstanding receiver. Terrific blocker. Fine sense of balance. Will kill himself to carry out assignment. 2) Tremendous competitor. Hates to lose. 3) Real worker on practice field. 4) Expects others to put out at all times. 5) Inspirational leader. 6) Real good defense. 7) Good punter, 40-yard average. 8) Kickoff man. Capable of kicking out of end zone. 9) Extra points and field goals. 10) Intelligent. Weakness – I honestly feel that he has no weaknesses. Accepts everything as a challenge."
Jim Brown: Cleveland's consolation prize
During the four years in the late 1950s when the NFL conducted its drafts in two phases with the early rounds taking place in either late November or early December, the order was based on the standings on draft day.
Thus, when the first four rounds were held in late 1956, nine games into what was a 12-game season, Cleveland, Green Bay and Pittsburgh were all 3-6 and needed to break their three-way tie for the fourth, fifth and sixth selections.
It was Green Bay's lucky day, winning the fourth choice, along with the bonus pick. Then the Steelers got the fifth pick ahead of the Browns.
Both of the latter needed quarterbacks. Cleveland's Otto Graham retired following the 1955 season, and the Browns were enduring their worst season in history. Pittsburgh's Ted Marchibroda was in his third season but first as a starter and struggling.
By virtue of the coin flip, the Steelers got their quarterback, grabbing Dawson (6-0, 183). The Browns settled for Brown.
Browns talent scout Dick Gallagher (Christl interview, Feb. 14, 1979): "When we went into the draft, we wanted a quarterback. There were only three we would have taken on the first round: Hornung, Brodie and Dawson. … We lost the (flip) and they took Dawson. So then Mr. Brown said, 'Who is the best football player left on the board?' We said, 'Jim Brown.' So we get Jim Brown the first choice, and we end up taking (quarterback) Milt Plum with the second."
Steelers publicity director Ed Kiely (Pittsburgh Press, April 23, 1989): "Cleveland was at the table right near us, and Paul Brown knocked his fist on the table and knocked some books off the table. He was so upset because he wanted Dawson."
Paul Brown (PB: The Paul Brown Story by Paul Brown with Jack Clary, 1979): "There was no great quarterback on the board after Dawson was picked, so we selected Jim Brown strictly because he was the best player available at the time and because I believed in having a strong, fast fullback for our offense. Dick Gallagher had seen him play four times that year and ardently believed that he was the best football player in the country. In film study, I saw that he never ran outside the tackles, but when he broke into the open, there were quick glimpses of his incredible quickness and balance. His strength also was apparent because every time he hit the point of attack, the defense sagged and he always moved forward."
Purdue assistant coach Bill Daddio on Dawson (Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph, Dec. 7, 1956): "That kid can and will run. … But the big things about Len are his poise and great passing ability. He will throw any place. He takes gambles and fakes his throws better than any passer in the country."
As it turned out, Dawson started one game in three seasons in Pittsburgh before being traded to Cleveland following the 1959 season. There, Paul Brown started him once in two years and then cut him. That was when Dawson signed with the Dallas Texans (now the Kansas City Chiefs) of the American Football League and his career took off.
Bottom line with Hornung & Kramer
When the Packers fell to 3-9 in 1957, leading to Blackbourn's firing, and then plummeted to a franchise-worst 1-10-1 record under McLean in 1958, the Hornung and Kramer selections were panned by fans and others. What made it all the worse was that in 1957 Brown had been named AP's MVP and Rookie of the Year.
As a rookie under Blackbourn, Hornung wasn't a polished enough passer to fill the Packers' need at quarterback and then suffered an ankle injury two weeks after an impressive performance in his first start at fullback. Against the defending NFL champion New York Giants, he rushed for 112 yards on 16 carries, including a league-long 72-yard run.
A year later, Hornung led the team in rushing and averaged 24.8 yards on kickoff returns, but McLean platooned him at fullback with Howie Ferguson.
Finally, in his third season, Lombardi moved Hornung to left halfback and built his offense around him. He was the ball carrier on Lombardi's signature power sweep and a threat to pass on its twin play, the halfback option.
Vainisi (Letter to Julius Tucker, Hornung's agent; April 6, 1959): "If there is any doubt in Paul's mind about Lombardi's sincerity in making him the key man in the 1959 Packer season, it should be eliminated after he reads this (enclosed) story. In Lombardi's system the left halfback is the key player."
Shortly after Hornung played his final game in 1966, Lombardi called him "the greatest player I ever coached" and "the best all-around back ever to play football."
Even Paul Brown seemed to be envious of the Packers, despite having Jim Brown in his own backfield.
Cleveland coach Paul Brown (Press-Gazette, Dec. 5, 1961): "That's a wonderful team you have in Green Bay. You have those two power backs. We can't do it like the Packers. That Hornung can get out and block and it helps (Jim) Taylor. Our Mitchell can't do that for Jim Brown."
Kramer had a better rookie year than Hornung playing at what was then called a "slotback position," finishing second on the team in receiving with 28 catches for 337 yards. However, he tore knee ligaments and fractured his right leg in the second-to-last game and required surgery that threatened his career. A year of military duty cost him the 1958 season.
Then it took him two more years to fully recover from his injury and the toll it had taken on his conditioning.
With his career at a crossroads, Kramer finally became the starting tight end in 1961 when the Packers won their first NFL title under Lombardi. A year later, when they repeated as NFL champs, AP named a tight end to its all-pro team for the first time, and Kramer beat out Chicago's Mike Ditka for first-team honors.
By then, Kramer weighed upwards of 260 pounds and was an overpowering blocker but still athletic enough to be a key cog in the Packers' passing game.
Packers tackle Bob Skoronski (Boston Globe, Dec. 27, 1962): "(Ron Kramer's) the key to our sweeps. No one can pinch block or block a linebacker like he can. He just doesn't block 'em, he destroys them."
Run of Hall of Famers continued
Five other future Hall of Famers were drafted in later rounds for a total of nine. Philadelphia selected halfback Tommy McDonald of Oklahoma in the third round and quarterback Sonny Jurgensen of Duke in the fourth round. Cleveland picked defensive tackle Henry Jordan of Virginia in the fifth round and tackle Gene Hickerson of Mississippi in the seventh round. The Giants drafted halfback Don Maynard of what was then Texas Western in the ninth round. Like Dawson, Maynard flourished in the AFL.
