Doors Close for HBCU Players in '80S
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HBCU NFL DRAFT HISTORY, PART THREE FOR THE WEEK OF MAY 19 - MAY 25, 2020 Doors close for HBCU players in '80s By LUT WILLIAMS BCSP Editor Between 1967 and 1976, a span of ten STANDING ™ years, a whopping 549 players from America's TALL Historically Black Colleges and Universities IN THE were taken in the NFL Draft, an average of HALL nearly 55 per year. Even when you add the next five years through 1980, the picks still round out to about A FEW PROUD MEMBERS: Unlike some of their predecessors, these HBCU products reached the Pro Football 45 per year. San Francisco 49ers Photo Hall of Fame despite not being first round draft picks. (L. to r.) Tennessee State's Richard Dent, Savannah GOOD MEN When Grambling quarterback Doug CREAM OF THE CROP: Jerry State's Shannon Sharpe, Southern's Aeneas Williams and Texas Southern's Michael Strahan. Williams was selected in the first round of the DOT Rice set records at Mississippi '80s NFL Valley State before going in the 1978 Draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, it at MVSU. Rice went on to arguably produce the A year later when 18 black college players first round of the 1985 Draft and marked the 11th straight year that a black college greatest career in NFL history posting 14 1,000- were taken, two third rounders made their mark. DRAFTS setting more in the NFL. player was taken in the first round. yard receiving seasons, 11 straight. He finished Southern defensive back Aeneas Williams That's the ground we primarily covered last his career with NFL records of 1,549 receptions went to Phoenix and Central State offensive HBCU NFL DRAFT HISTORY, PART 3; HBCUs HIT week in Part Two of our series on HBCU NFL for 22,895 yards and 197 touchdowns. Rice was tackle Erik Williams was taken by Dallas. HARD ON APR; MO WILLIAMS IN AT BAMA STATE Draft History. But things were about to change. selected to the Pro Bowl 13 times (1986–1996, Aeneas became one of the premier shut- This week in Part Three, our next-to-last 1998, 2002) and named All-Pro 12 times in his down cornerbacks in the league before switch- installment of the series, we chart what happened 20 NFL seasons. He won three Super Bowls ing to safety in the final years of his 14 year- to black college players in the Draft covering with the 49ers and an AFC Championship with career. He finished with 55 career interceptions the 1980s through 1994, the year the BLACK the Oakland Raiders. and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of THE STAT CORNER COLLEGE SPORTS PAGE began publication. Reggie Langhorne from Elizabeth City Fame in 2014. WHO'S IN AND WHO'S OUT IN BLACK COLLEGE SPORTS State went to Cleveland in the seventh round of Erik had a Hall of Fame-worthy career as he WHERE DID THE LOVE GO? the 'Rice' Draft and had a productive nine-year teamed with Florida A&M product Nate New- The 1964 hit song by the super girls' singing career. ton to give the Cowboys an HBCU duo on the NUMBER OF BLACK COLLEGE group The Supremes, entitled Where Did Our In 1986, only 11 players from the HBCU left side of their offensive line. Williams played PLAYERS TAKEN IN Love Go, would be an apt theme song for what ranks were selected but the 49ers found a 11 years, 10 with the Cowboys where he earned NFL / AFL DRAFTS - 1981 to 1994 happened to black college players in the draft complement to Rice in Delaware State wide All-Pro status four times and was a three-time after 1980. receiver John Taylor in the third round. Taylor Super Bowl champion. 1981.................. 18 1988.................. 20 After that decade-plus of dominance, only teamed with Rice to win three Super Bowls Thirty (30) HBCU players went off the two other HBCU talents – Kentucky State (XXIII, XXIV and XXIX) with the Niners, boards in 1992 and a first rounder appeared for 1982.................. 20 1989.................. 15 defensive back Rod Hill by Dallas in 1982 and catching the game-winning pass in Super Bowl the first time since Rice's selection in 1985. 1983.................. 22 1990.................. 19 Mississippi Valley State wide receiver Jerry XXIII. He played nine years in the league. South Carolina State defensive end Rob- Rice by San Francisco in 1985 – went off the Winston-Salem State defensive end ert Porcher went to Detroit with the 26th over- 1984.................. 15 1991.................. 18 boards in the first round. Donald Evans was the highest pick in 1987 all selection of the first round. Porcher became a 1985.................. 12 1992.................. 30 Meanwhile, the overall numbers also took going to the LA Rams in the second round. pass rushing force for the Lions playing in 187 a nosedive. The downward trend started in 1977 No first rounders were among the 16 HBCU games (third all-time in Detroit history), and set 1986...................11 1993.................... 8 when only 19 HBCU players were taken after 53 players taken in 1987 but Buffalo grabbed two a team record with 95.5 quarterback sacks dur- 1987.................. 16 1994.................. 12 were taken just a year earlier in 1976. mainstays in later rounds. Defensive end Leon ing his career. He led Detroit in sacks eight times It's very clear that beginning in the late Seals out of Jackson State was taken in the (also a Detroit record). He also became the first SOURCE: Total Football (1997) 1970s much larger colleges had decided they were not going to leave talented African- American football players to the HBCUs as they NEXT IN LINE: (L. to R.) had in years past. Central State's Erik Williams, UNDER THE BANNER From 1977, over the next 18 years to 1994, SC State's Robert Porcher and WHAT'S GOING ON IN AND AROUND BLACK COLLEGE SPORTS HBCU draft numbers reached the thirties (at 30) just one time, in 1992, and topped twenty just Jackson State's Jimmy Smith HBCUs HIT HARD WITH APR PENALTIES: five times. And black college players were once have the numbers to enter the again primarily relegated to the later rounds as Steve Gaither from HBCUGameday reports that Pro Football Hall of Fame, they had been prior to the 1967 merger of the all they need is the votes. Howard University football is among several HBCUs hit AFL and NFL. with NCAA postseason bans because of on low Academic There were just a few HBCU players that Progress Rates (APR). had outstanding careers from this period but fourth round and offensive lineman Howard Lion to record double-digit sack totals in four Howard, traditionally and currently one of the most there were still some gems. Ballard went in the 11th round. Seals and consecutive seasons (1996–99). Porcher should academically rigorous and prestigious historically black Ballard both played in Super Bowls XXV and strongly be considered for the Hall of Fame. colleges and universities in the nation, was banned from STILL DIAMONDS XXVI. In his 12-year career, Ballard played in Another that should receive strong consid- Only 18 players went off the boards in two other Super Bowls and was a two-time All- eration for the Hall from that draft is former postseason football for a persistently low Academic Prog- 1981. Florida A&M defensive back William Pro. Jackson State wideout Jimmy Smith. Taken ress Rate. Judson was taken by Miami in the eighth round Pittsburgh grabbed potential Hall of Famer by Dallas in the second round in '92, Smith blos- To compete in the 2020-21 postseason, teams must and played eight years in the league including Greg Lloyd out of Fort Valley State in the somed at Jacksonville posting nine 1,000-yard achieve a 930 four-year APR. NCAA members chose the appearing in two Super Bowls. sixth round. Lloyd, often a one-man wrecking receiving seasons, seven in a row. He finished 930 standard because that score predicts, on average, a 50 Hill went to Dallas with the 25th overall crew, played 10 outstanding seasons with the with over 12,000 receiving yards and 67 TDs, selection in 1982 but spent most of his six-year percent graduation rate for a given team. Steelers posting 54.5 sacks and 11 interceptions. well past several receivers already in the Hall. NFL career as a punt returner. The pickings were slim in 1988 (20) and The only single-digit HBCU performance The period from which the Howard statistics are Tennessee State defensive end Richard 1989 (15). in the draft came in 1993 when only eight were taken includes one year under Gary Harrell, two years Dent is definitely the star among the 22 taken in Vincent "The Undertaker" Brown, a rov- selected. But one of those was Texas Southern under Mike London, and one season under Ron Prince. the 1983 Draft. Plucked by Chicago in the eighth ing linebacker from Mississippi Valley State defensive end Michael Strahan taken by the All three head coaches have left the program. round, Dent became a pass rushing phenom for went in the 1988 second round to New England New York Giants in the second round. Howard joins Prairie View A&M on the list of the Bears. He spent 12 of his 15 years in the and played eight years for the Patriots. South Strahan who went on to play 15 marvelous league with the Bears and posted 137.5 sacks HBCU football programs ineligible for the postseason. Carolina State defensive back Dwayne Harp- years for the Giants, earning NFL Defensive with a high of 17 in 1985.