Double-digit draftees were good to Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys had to stay up late to snag their future Capt. Comeback.

They took Roger Staubach in the 10th round of the 1964 NFL Draft.

"We drafted Roger about 4 o'clock in the morning," recalled Gil Brandt, venerable player personal director for 29 seasons. "Back then, the draft went continuously -- all 20 rounds."

There are many draft oddities involving NFL quarterbacks. In '83, Dan Marino was the last of six first-round QBs selected -- after Elway, Blackledge, Kelly, Eason and O'Brien were called. Tom Brady was a sixth-round pick in 2000.

Hall of Famers Johnny Unitas, Bart Starr and Staubach went even later than that: Unitas, ninth-round pick in '55 (and cut in his rookie training camp); Starr, 17th round in '56, and Staubach, 10th round in '64.

In these pre-ESPN/Mel Kiper days, the NFL didn't put teams on the clock, either.

"One year [1962], the Steelers took about five hours to find someone to draft that they could sign," Brandt recalled. "They ended up drafting Bob Ferguson -- the big Ohio State fullback -- because they could sign him."

Early NFL drafts with double-digit rounds frequently went into the wee hours of the next day.

"The year we drafted John Niland (1966), we started at 8 a.m. Saturday morning and didn't finish until 4 or 4:30 p.m. Sunday," Brandt said. "I think it was the only Cowboys game that Tex Schramm and I ever missed."

Back then, NFL Drafts were held in-season.

The '66 draft was on Saturday, Nov. 27, 1965. The Cowboys were in Washington that weekend to play (and subsequently lost 34-31 to) the Redskins -- Sunday, Nov. 28.

"We conducted our draft that year from the DuPont Plaza," Brandt recalled. "But it ran so long that Tex and I never got to the game."

In '67, the NFL Draft was "shortened" to 17 rounds. The process was reduced to 12 rounds in '77, eight rounds in '93 and, finally, to seven rounds in '94 -- which it remains today.

Double-digit draft "finds" are a thing of the past now. But the Cowboys managed to get their fair share over the years:

ROGER STAUBACH (10th round in '64)

Double-digit draftee: Staubach became available to Dallas in the 10th round because of his yet-to-come, five-year military commitment. He joined the Cowboys in 1969.

Gil Brandt: "Roger spent R&R in Thousand Oaks. He probably did that for two or three years -- working out with the team. [When Staubach served in Vietnam] I sent him cases of footballs that he could use for practice. Roger was in places like Da Nang ... and I would get a letter from him saying, "A mortar shell hit 25 feet away and destroyed all the footballs. Can you send more?"

NFL No. 1 pick overall: WR Dave Parks (by the 49ers).

Cowboys' No. 1 pick: DB Mel Renfro (second round); Cowboys drafted Texas DT Scott Appleton in the first round but strictly on behalf of the Steelers, as part of the Buddy Dial trade.

JERRY RHOME (13th round in '64)

Double-digit draftee: Rhome transferred from SMU to Tulsa, where he finished as Heisman Trophy runner-up to Notre Dame¡¦s John Huarte. Rhome's ability was never in question. But it was a relatively small football program that his big arm helped turn around. Brandt: "Jerry's dad, Byron, worked for me. He was a football coach at [Dallas] Sunset High School. I'd use high school coaches as film-graders, so I was quite aware of Jerry."

NFL No. 1 pick overall: Parks (49ers).

Cowboys' No. 1 pick: DB Renfro (second round), a 10-time Pro Bowler for Dallas.

JETHRO PUGH (11th round in '65)

Double-digit draftee: Pugh came out of tiny Elizabeth City (N.C.) State University. He quickly made up for his lack of pedigree, leading the Cowboys in sacks five times (1968-72) during a 14-year career ¡X all in Dallas.

Brandt: "Jethro was only 20 years old when we drafted him. And I'll tell you what kind of kid he was. His first contract was for $14,000. He came to us and said, 'I'd like to start a savings account. Do you mind helping me do that?' So, we deferred $1,000 of his own money."