DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – As NFL Draft experts such as Mel Kiper, Jr. and Todd McShay go through their final preparations and rundowns for the 2013 NFL Draft which begins Thursday, April 25, BCUathletics.com goes through some of the storied history of the draft involving B-CU Wildcats.
IN ALL: IN all, a total of 31 Wildcats have received a phone call from NFL teams on draft weekend. However, there is also a 32nd pick as Lee Williams was selected in the 1984 supplemental draft of USFL and CFL players.
BY TEAM: Seventeen of the present 32 teams have selected at least one Wildcat in their drafts. The Chiefs lead the way with four, followed by the Cowboys, Dolphins, Jets and Packers with three, then the Bucs, Eagles and Raiders with two apiece. The Bengals, Bills, Cardinals, Chargers, Jaguars, Patriots, Saints and Steelers all have selected one.
BY POSITION: Seven defensive backs, six wide receivers, five running backs, three defensive tackles, two defensive ends (three including Williams), two linebackers, two tight ends and one offensive lineman. At this point, there has never been a quarterback taken from B-CU.
THE FIRST AND THE LATEST: The legendary Jack “Cy” McClairen, now Associate Athletic Director at B-CU, was the first Wildcat to get the call when he went in the 26th round of the 1953 draft to the Pittsburgh Steelers, where he would go on to a 1957 Pro Bowl appearance. The last Wildcat to be drafted was Pro Bowler and Super Bowl XLV Champion Nick Collins in 2005 to Green Bay.
HIGHS: B-CU has never had a player drafted in the first round, but four have gone in the second round, including Collins and Rashean Mathis (Jacksonville). Both made the Pro Bowl. The earliest pick was Booker Reese, who served as the 32nd pick to Tampa Bay in 1982. Terry Williams, now the B-CU defensive backs coach, was drafted 37th by the Jets in 1988, However, Williams had his career shortened by a knee injury during his second season.
LATE ROUNDS: McClairen might have gone in the 26th round, but there were only 12 NFL teams during that time, and he went out as the 306th selection that year. Alphonso Cain was the last player to be drafted, taken by the Dallas Cowboys.
WILDCAT PACKS: Multiple Wildcats have been selected in the same draft four times. In 1972, Cain and Nathaniel Ross (Packers) were selected, respectively. The 1976 draft was the all-time high with four (Willie “Foots” Lee to the Chiefs, Bernard Coleman to the Patriots, the late Randy “Sweetback” Walker to the Cardinals and Andre Robinson to the Bills). In 1977, three Bethune-Cookman players had their names called (Terry Anderson to the Dolphins, Charlie White to the Jets and Andre Samuels to the Chiefs), while 1984 was the last multiple year with Dewey Forte (Dolphins) and Mike Revell (Cowboys).
The official Bethune-Cookman football schedule wallpaper for computers and all mobile devices is now available for download by clicking here.
The 2013 schedule features 12 games, including eight in the Sunshine State. The Wildcats have key matchups against Tennessee State (Sept. 1), FIU (Sept. 14), Florida State (Sept. 21), South Carolina State (Oct. 26) and rival Florida A&M (Nov. 23). The season kicks off Sunday, Sept. 1, as the Cats travel to Nashville, Tennessee for a game against Tennessee State.
Season tickets for the 2013 season will be on sale soon at the B-CU Box Office, and may be purchased by calling (386) 481-2465. They can also be purchased through Ticketmaster, as well as online by clicking here.
For the latest information on Bethune-Cookman Football, follow @BCUathletics on Twitter. Join the conversation for all things related to B-CU Football in 2013 by using the official hashtag #NeverSatisfied in all tweets.
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