1976 NFL expansion draft
The 1976 National Football League (NFL) expansion draft was held March 30–31, 1976.[1] The expansion teams, the Seattle Seahawks and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, each selected 39 players from the other 26 NFL teams.[1] When one player was chosen from an existing team, that team was then permitted to protect two additional players.[1] The expansion teams continued until three players had been picked from each of the existing teams.[1]
The expansion draft was originally scheduled for January 23–24, but was postponed when the owners of the Seahawks and Buccaneers filed a lawsuit against the players' union with worries that the organization would try to prevent the draft. The court case delayed both the expansion draft and the annual college draft.[2]
Seattle selections
Tampa Bay selections
| Player | Position | College | Original NFL Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Larry Ball | LB | Louisville | Detroit Lions |
| Joe Blahak | DB | Nebraska | Minnesota Vikings |
| Bubba Bridges | DT | Colorado | Denver Broncos |
| Bubba Broussard | LB | Houston | Chicago Bears |
| Louis Carter | RB | Maryland | Oakland Raiders |
| Steve Colavito | LB | Wake Forest | Philadelphia Eagles |
| Mark Cotney | DB | Cameron State | Houston Oilers |
| Mike Current | OT | Ohio State | Denver Broncos |
| Anthony Davis | RB | USC | New York Jets |
| Ricky Davis | DB | Alabama | Cincinnati Bengals |
| Earl Douthitt | DB | Iowa | Chicago Bears |
| Bruce Elia | LB | Ohio State | Miami Dolphins |
| Larry Ely | LB | Iowa | Chicago Bears |
| Howard Fest | OG | Texas | Cincinnati Bengals |
| Ira Gordon | OG | Kansas State | San Diego Chargers |
| Jimmy Gunn | LB | USC | New York Giants |
| Harold Hart | RB | Texas Southern | Oakland Raiders |
| Durwood Keeton | DB | Oklahoma | New England Patriots |
| Jim Kearney | DB | Prairie View | Kansas City Chiefs |
| Vince Kendrick | RB | Florida | Atlanta Falcons |
| Morris LaGrand | RB | Tampa | New Orleans Saints |
| Willie McGee | WR | Alcorn State | Los Angeles Rams |
| John (J.K.) McKay | WR | USC | Cleveland Browns |
| Bob Moore | TE | Stanford | Oakland Raiders |
| Manfred Moore | RB | USC | San Francisco 49ers |
| Frank Oliver | DB | Kentucky State | Buffalo Bills |
| Dave Pear | DT | Washington | Baltimore Colts |
| Cal Peterson | LB | UCLA | Dallas Cowboys |
| Dave Reavis | OT | Arkansas | Pittsburgh Steelers |
| Council Rudolph | DE | Kentucky State | St. Louis Cardinals |
| Dan Ryczek | C | Virginia | Washington Redskins |
| Barry Smith | WR | Florida State | Green Bay Packers |
| Ken Stone | DB | Vanderbilt | Washington Redskins |
| Doug Swift | LB | Amherst | Miami Dolphins |
| Dave Thompson | OT-C | Clemson | New Orleans Saints |
| Pat Toomay | DE | Vanderbilt | Buffalo Bills |
| John Ward | C-OG | Oklahoma State | Minnesota Vikings |
| Lawrence Williams | WR | Texas Tech | Kansas City Chiefs |
| Dan Yochum | OT | Syracuse | Philadelphia Eagles |
References
- 1 2 3 4 "1976 NFL Expansion Draft". Pro Football Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on 11 October 2008. Retrieved 2008-09-24.
- ↑ "Drafts delayed by Bucs". St. Petersburg Times. 14 January 1976. Retrieved 9 February 2009.