Terries (sic) Bradshaw and Hanratty
Posted: Tue Oct 21, 2014 8:40 am
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Terries (sic) Bradshaw and Hanratty
Started by PeterS, Aug 21 2014 12:39 PM
7 replies to this topic
#1 PeterS
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Posted 21 August 2014 - 12:39 PM
I know that people usually second guess wrong decisions, but here's a right decision I've wondered about for a long time.
The Steelers hire Chuck Noll for the 1969 season. In his first draft, he selected Joe Greene with the first overall pick, then went for Terry Hanratty with his second round pick (number 30 overall).
The following year, the Steelers chose Terry Bradshaw with the first overall pick.
Granted, it was the right decision (hard to argue with 4 Super Bowl rings), but why did they go for Bradshaw so soon after Hanratty? I was quite young back then, and never saw any articles addressing the issue at the time.
In his first season, Hanratty started 5 games (lost all 5, but the Steelers were 1-13 that year). He completed 41.3% of his passes, had 5.7 Y/A, 6.3 TD%, 10.3 Int % (league averages for that year were 52.6% comp, 7.0 Y/A, 5.1 TD%, and 4.9 Int%). These are all much worse than normal, but I also remember greater patience with quarterbacks back then, and a bad first season wasn't considered the end of a career.
Hanratty had some decent bona fides from college (starting qb of 1966 National Champs, All-American in 1968); so why did they give up on him so quickly? Noll was there already when they picked him, wasn't like he was "someone else's guy".
Did Bradshaw look "absolutely can't miss", or was Hanratty just unredeemably dreadful, in the Steelers opinions?
#2 Bryan
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Posted 21 August 2014 - 01:20 PM
My understanding is that Hanratty was more of an Art Rooney pick than a Noll pick...Rooney loved the Irish Catholics from Notre Dame.
Bradshaw was an alleged "once in a lifetime" QB prospect, so the Steelers probably would have picked Bradshaw even if Hanratty's rookie numbers were better. From a talent standpoint, Hanratty had a very weak arm, so perhaps Noll was already looking for a new QB anyways.
#3 97Den98
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Posted 21 August 2014 - 04:26 PM
Bryan, on 21 Aug 2014 - 1:20 PM, said:
My understanding is that Hanratty was more of an Art Rooney pick than a Noll pick...Rooney loved the Irish Catholics from Notre Dame.
Bradshaw was an alleged "once in a lifetime" QB prospect, so the Steelers probably would have picked Bradshaw even if Hanratty's rookie numbers were better. From a talent standpoint, Hanratty had a very weak arm, so perhaps Noll was already looking for a new QB anyways.
Good point. And, if they couldn't have gotten Bradshaw to replace him, his replacement may have been Plunkett, Pastorini, or Manning from the 71 Draft. The Steelers wouldn't have selected Mike Phipps. Art Rooney, Jr. said that in an interview he did for the book The Super 70's by Tom Danyluk.
He said that they probably would have traded out of the #2 pick to get vets and draft choices.
#4 SixtiesFan
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Posted 21 August 2014 - 06:07 PM
Hanratty didn't have anything like Bradshaw's physical skills and potential. Not even close.
#5 rhickok1109
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Posted 21 August 2014 - 10:15 PM
Bryan, on 21 Aug 2014 - 1:20 PM, said:
My understanding is that Hanratty was more of an Art Rooney pick than a Noll pick...Rooney loved the Irish Catholics from Notre Dame.
Bradshaw was an alleged "once in a lifetime" QB prospect, so the Steelers probably would have picked Bradshaw even if Hanratty's rookie numbers were better. From a talent standpoint, Hanratty had a very weak arm, so perhaps Noll was already looking for a new QB anyways.
Hanratty was from Butler, PA, and Art Rooney also loved Pittsburgh area players.
#6 luckyshow
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Posted 28 August 2014 - 08:43 PM
The Jets did something similar in 1965. Drafted Namath #1 and John Huarte, Heisman Trophy winner out of Notre Dame, #12.
Then supposedly had a competition, where
Taliaferro (pronounced "Tolivar", right?) was ahead of him. Traded to the Patriots, I mostly remember him running back punts.
Wasn't Harris the Steelers QB around the time you write about?
If I am right about the pronunciation of Taliaferro, I can think of another sports related name similar to this. Oceanside High School in New York (my alma mater) has had some graduates become pros. There was the Dolphins QB a bunch of years ago, Jay Fiedler. There was Art Heyman who was a Duke and Knicks basketball player. The name in question is Bill Kunkel, which is pronounced like Hot Rod Kanehl, "Ka-nee-ul" He pitched for the Kansas City Athletics in the early1960s then became an American League umpire for nearly 20 years.
Which has nothing to do with anything under discussion.....
#7 oldecapecod 11
PFRA Member
Posted 28 August 2014 - 10:27 PM
luckyshow
Posted Today, 08:43 PM
"The Jets did something similar in 1965. Drafted Namath #1 and John Huarte, Heisman Trophy winner out of Notre Dame, #12..."
They also drafted Virginia Tech QB Bob Schweickert in the 4th Round (#28 overall.)
If I recall, they bonused $400,000.00 to Namath, $200,000.00 to Huarte, and $100,000.00 to Schweickert.
Schweickert was a pretty good all-round athlete and hung on vying for another position (WR, I think) but was out of the QB running early.
He was also drafted in an early round by an NFL team.
#8 BD Sullivan
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Posted 29 August 2014 - 01:43 PM
As for reasons why Hanratty lasted until early in the second round: he had missed the last portion of the 1968 season due to knee surgery, and was still recovering at the time of the draft; he was considered "small" at 6-1, and Joe Kuharich referred to him as a sprint-out passer.
Terries (sic) Bradshaw and Hanratty
Started by PeterS, Aug 21 2014 12:39 PM
7 replies to this topic
#1 PeterS
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Posted 21 August 2014 - 12:39 PM
I know that people usually second guess wrong decisions, but here's a right decision I've wondered about for a long time.
The Steelers hire Chuck Noll for the 1969 season. In his first draft, he selected Joe Greene with the first overall pick, then went for Terry Hanratty with his second round pick (number 30 overall).
The following year, the Steelers chose Terry Bradshaw with the first overall pick.
Granted, it was the right decision (hard to argue with 4 Super Bowl rings), but why did they go for Bradshaw so soon after Hanratty? I was quite young back then, and never saw any articles addressing the issue at the time.
In his first season, Hanratty started 5 games (lost all 5, but the Steelers were 1-13 that year). He completed 41.3% of his passes, had 5.7 Y/A, 6.3 TD%, 10.3 Int % (league averages for that year were 52.6% comp, 7.0 Y/A, 5.1 TD%, and 4.9 Int%). These are all much worse than normal, but I also remember greater patience with quarterbacks back then, and a bad first season wasn't considered the end of a career.
Hanratty had some decent bona fides from college (starting qb of 1966 National Champs, All-American in 1968); so why did they give up on him so quickly? Noll was there already when they picked him, wasn't like he was "someone else's guy".
Did Bradshaw look "absolutely can't miss", or was Hanratty just unredeemably dreadful, in the Steelers opinions?
#2 Bryan
Forum Visitors
Posted 21 August 2014 - 01:20 PM
My understanding is that Hanratty was more of an Art Rooney pick than a Noll pick...Rooney loved the Irish Catholics from Notre Dame.
Bradshaw was an alleged "once in a lifetime" QB prospect, so the Steelers probably would have picked Bradshaw even if Hanratty's rookie numbers were better. From a talent standpoint, Hanratty had a very weak arm, so perhaps Noll was already looking for a new QB anyways.
#3 97Den98
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Posted 21 August 2014 - 04:26 PM
Bryan, on 21 Aug 2014 - 1:20 PM, said:
My understanding is that Hanratty was more of an Art Rooney pick than a Noll pick...Rooney loved the Irish Catholics from Notre Dame.
Bradshaw was an alleged "once in a lifetime" QB prospect, so the Steelers probably would have picked Bradshaw even if Hanratty's rookie numbers were better. From a talent standpoint, Hanratty had a very weak arm, so perhaps Noll was already looking for a new QB anyways.
Good point. And, if they couldn't have gotten Bradshaw to replace him, his replacement may have been Plunkett, Pastorini, or Manning from the 71 Draft. The Steelers wouldn't have selected Mike Phipps. Art Rooney, Jr. said that in an interview he did for the book The Super 70's by Tom Danyluk.
He said that they probably would have traded out of the #2 pick to get vets and draft choices.
#4 SixtiesFan
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Posted 21 August 2014 - 06:07 PM
Hanratty didn't have anything like Bradshaw's physical skills and potential. Not even close.
#5 rhickok1109
PFRA Member
Posted 21 August 2014 - 10:15 PM
Bryan, on 21 Aug 2014 - 1:20 PM, said:
My understanding is that Hanratty was more of an Art Rooney pick than a Noll pick...Rooney loved the Irish Catholics from Notre Dame.
Bradshaw was an alleged "once in a lifetime" QB prospect, so the Steelers probably would have picked Bradshaw even if Hanratty's rookie numbers were better. From a talent standpoint, Hanratty had a very weak arm, so perhaps Noll was already looking for a new QB anyways.
Hanratty was from Butler, PA, and Art Rooney also loved Pittsburgh area players.
#6 luckyshow
Forum Visitors
Posted 28 August 2014 - 08:43 PM
The Jets did something similar in 1965. Drafted Namath #1 and John Huarte, Heisman Trophy winner out of Notre Dame, #12.
Then supposedly had a competition, where
Taliaferro (pronounced "Tolivar", right?) was ahead of him. Traded to the Patriots, I mostly remember him running back punts.
Wasn't Harris the Steelers QB around the time you write about?
If I am right about the pronunciation of Taliaferro, I can think of another sports related name similar to this. Oceanside High School in New York (my alma mater) has had some graduates become pros. There was the Dolphins QB a bunch of years ago, Jay Fiedler. There was Art Heyman who was a Duke and Knicks basketball player. The name in question is Bill Kunkel, which is pronounced like Hot Rod Kanehl, "Ka-nee-ul" He pitched for the Kansas City Athletics in the early1960s then became an American League umpire for nearly 20 years.
Which has nothing to do with anything under discussion.....
#7 oldecapecod 11
PFRA Member
Posted 28 August 2014 - 10:27 PM
luckyshow
Posted Today, 08:43 PM
"The Jets did something similar in 1965. Drafted Namath #1 and John Huarte, Heisman Trophy winner out of Notre Dame, #12..."
They also drafted Virginia Tech QB Bob Schweickert in the 4th Round (#28 overall.)
If I recall, they bonused $400,000.00 to Namath, $200,000.00 to Huarte, and $100,000.00 to Schweickert.
Schweickert was a pretty good all-round athlete and hung on vying for another position (WR, I think) but was out of the QB running early.
He was also drafted in an early round by an NFL team.
#8 BD Sullivan
Forum Visitors
Posted 29 August 2014 - 01:43 PM
As for reasons why Hanratty lasted until early in the second round: he had missed the last portion of the 1968 season due to knee surgery, and was still recovering at the time of the draft; he was considered "small" at 6-1, and Joe Kuharich referred to him as a sprint-out passer.