In Charge Of The Draft

El Guapo

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I'm trying to get an accurate picture of who was (mostly) responsible for each of the Packers' drafts. Here is my list of draft directors:

1921-49 Curly Lambeau
1950 Gene Ronzani
1951-59 Jack Vainisi (Gene Ronzani was the GM 1950-53 and Verne Lewellen 1954-59)
1960-68 Vincent T Lombardi
1969-70 Phil Bengston
1971-74 Dan Devine
1975-80 Bart Starr
1981-83 ????
1984-86 Forrest Gregg
1987-91 Tom Braatz
1992-01 Ron Wolf
2002-04 Mike Sherman
2005- Ted Thompson

Here are my issues/questions:
1) I've seen conflicting reports about whether Vainisi was running the draft in 1950 or 1951. Maybe he started in 1950 and his first draft was in '51. Anybody know who ran the 1950 draft?

2) Although Vainisi worked the Packers 1960 draft and didn't die until later that year, I am assuming that Lombardi was in charge of his first draft...effectively ending Vainisi's run. Anybody remember?

3) Who ran the drafts after the Board stripped Starr of his GM role in December of 1980? I know that Tom Miller and Bob Harlan split up the GM duties but don't remember who ran the draft...or was it still Starr selecting the players and Miller/Harlan doing the rest?
 
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TJV

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I believe Vainisi joined the Packers in the summer of 1950 so he didn't join the Packers until after the 1950 draft. I assume HC Gene Ronzani, who took over from Lambeau that year, was in charge of that draft. Lombardi had final say for the draft. In fact it's reported that when Vainisi called Lombardi to see if he'd be interested in the Packers' HC job, he suggested Lombardi ask for total control over football operations because Vainisi thought the board interfered too much.

[tangent] Maraniss reported that Vainisi was the first person from the Packers to contact Lombardi. He didn't have the authority to, but he had studied Lombardi and interviewed NFL owners Paul Brown and George Halas as well as Bert Bell and Red Blaik (who Lombardi worked for at Army). They all said Lombardi was the best choice so Vainisi then suggested to Packers president Olejniczak that he to talk to Brown, Halas, Bell, and Blaik. Pretty smart and the rest, as they say, is history.[/tangent]

**** Corrick was director of player personnel from 1978 to 1986 but Starr had the final say until he was demoted and I believe Gregg had it while he was HC. Perhaps Corrick had the final say for the '81 to '83 drafts. That would be a good question for the newly employed Packers historian, Cliff Christl.
 
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El Guapo

El Guapo

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I found this in a Journal-Sentinel obituary on Corrick:
http://www.jsonline.com/sports/packers/29588584.html
Dan Devine, the Packers' coach and general manager, hired Corrick in 1971 to scout the West Coast. When Bart Starr replaced Devine in 1975, Corrick was promoted to director of pro personnel until being appointed to director of player personnel in 1978.

Corrick essentially supervised the Packers' scouting departments under Starr from 1978-'83, and later under Forrest Gregg from 1984-'86. Corrick remained as director of college scouting for two more years before leaving for Houston.

"I thought he had a good feel for players," retired president Bob Harlan said in reference to Corrick in 1999. "I just don't think he was ever in position to run it and do it his way.

"And his way might have been very successful for all I know. But he was always working for somebody who was a coach and general manager. That made it tough."

Corrick's first draft in Green Bay was one of his best, producing wide receiver James Lofton and linebacker John Anderson in the first round and starters Mike Douglass, Leotis Harris and Terry Jones. But as the years went on, Starr found that his scouts and coaches often were at loggerheads and resisted drafting players that the coaches didn't like.

Thus, the Packers selected quarterback Rich Campbell over safety Ronnie Lott in 1981 despite the urgings of Corrick.

"Things would have been different," Dave Hanner, who spent more than 40 years with the Packers as player, coach and scout, said in '99. "We took some people we didn't want. We would have been better off if **** had full say-so."
It appears that he wasn't making the calls even after Starr lost his GM duties, because that would have been in 1981 when Corrick was "urging" for Ronnie Lott instead of Rich Campbell. Somebody over-ruled him.
 

PWT

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I found this in a Journal-Sentinel obituary on Corrick:
http://www.jsonline.com/sports/packers/29588584.html
It appears that he wasn't making the calls even after Starr lost his GM duties, because that would have been in 1981 when Corrick was "urging" for Ronnie Lott instead of Rich Campbell. Somebody over-ruled him.

In 1981, I had heard that Bart Starr had sent his old Backup QB , then Packer assistant Coach Zeke Bratkowski out to California to lo0k at Rich Campbell. Bratkowski report was all positive about Rich Campbell . Packers drafted Campbell with the 6 pick in 1st round of 1981 NFL draft.

Packer H C Starr was fired by the Packers at end of the 1983 season.
Rich Campbell was released after the 1984 season. Campbell remained a third string QB for his 4 season with Packers
Campbell threw 68 passes and completed 31 in his 4 seasons with Packers. I think he could be called a bust!!
 
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FrankRizzo

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In 1981, I had heard that Bart Starr had sent his old Backup QB , then Packer assistant Coach Zeke Bratkowski out to California to lo0k at Rich Campbell. Bratkowski report was all positive about Rich Campbell . Packers drafted Campbell with the 6 pick in 1st round of 1981 NFL draft.

Packer H C Starr was fired by the Packers at end of the 1983 season.
Rich Campbell was released after the 1984 season. Campbell remained a third string QB for his 4 season with Packers
Campbell threw 68 passes and completed 31 in his 4 seasons with Packers. I think he could call him a bust!!
Yeah, 100% BIG BUST that was.

Not only was he reached with the #6 pick, but the next 2 picks after that reach were Hugh Green & Ronnie Lott.
Mike Singletary, Howie Long, and Ricky Jackson all went later and are now in the HOF.
 

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