Berry Tramel: Tramel's ScissorTales: Oklahoma State football's NFL Draft history more than Barry Sanders

Apr. 30—Ralph Foster grew up in Perry, played football at Oklahoma A&M and in 1940 became the first Cowboy selected in the NFL Draft. Foster, a tackle, went 151st overall, 17th round, to the Chicago Cardinals.

Foster didn't go straight to the NFL. I assume World War II got in the way somewhere along the line, and Foster came back to Stillwater and played for the Cowboys in 1944. Then he played 19 games over two seasons for the Cardinals, making nine starts.

Foster is one of 217 OSU players to make an NFL roster, And Foster was the first of 139 Cowboys drafted.

OSU's 217 NFL players is tied for 45th all-time among NCAA schools. The Cowboys are surrounded by the likes of Maryland (238), Missouri (235), Mississippi State (229), West Virginia (226), Indiana (219), South Carolina (217), San Diego State (2015), Utah (209), Texas Christian (209) and Northwestern (207).

Remarkably, 77 of OSU's 217 NFL players have played pro football in the 2000s. So the Cowboys are climbing the list fast.

With the NFL Draft commencing Thursday night, let's take a look at OSU's NFL Draft history.

Overall No. 1 picks

Bob Fenimore, a Cowboy legend, was OSU's only overall No. 1 pick. Fenimore was taken first in 1947 by the Chicago Bears.

Drafting was not sophisticated 70something years ago. Fenimore, a huge star in Stillwater in 1944 and 1945, was injured much of the 1946 season. And still the Bears took him No. 1.

Fenimore played 10 games for the 1947 Bears. He wasn't bad. Fenimore had two interceptions and rushed 53 times for 189 yards and a touchdown. But the injuries mounted, the NFL didn't pay what it pays today, and Fenimore gave up football and returned to Oklahoma to enter the insurance business.

First-round draft picks

OSU has had 20 first-round draft picks. Offensive tackle Teven Jenkins might join the club Thursday night.

Here are the Cowboys' first-round picks.

1947: Bob Fenimore, B, first overall, Bears. Abbreviated career.

1989: Barry Sanders, TB, third overall, Lions. He seemed to do all right in the NFL, if you like tailbacks who challenge Jim Brown for title of the greatest runner in football history.

1978: Terry Miller, HB, fifth overall, Bills. Disappointing NFL career, with just 1,583 rushing yards over four seasons.

2012: Justin Blackmon, WR, fifth overall, Jaguars. After a solid rookie season (64 catches, 865 yards), off-field issues derailed Blackmon. He never had a catch after 2013.

2010: Russell Okung, OT, sixth overall, Seahawks. Great pro, with 131 career starts.

1947: Neill Armstrong, E, eighth overall, Eagles. Had 76 catches in five NFL seasons but eventually became head coach of the Chicago Bears.

1986: Leslie O'Neal, DE, eighth overall, Chargers. Fabulous player, with 132 1/2 sacks over 13 seasons. A Pro Football Hall of Fame candidate.

2014: Justin Gilbert, CB, eighth overall, Browns. Just three starts in three NFL seasons.

2003: Kevin Williams, DT, ninth overall, Vikings. Game-changing defensive tackle who was a five-time first-team all-pro.

1977: Phil Dokes, DT, 12th overall, Bills. Played just two seasons, making 10 starts at defensive tackle.

1948: Jim Spavital, FB, 11th overall, Cardinals. Played just two seasons, gaining 290 yards on 73 carries as a fullback.

1989: Hart Lee Dykes, WR, 16th overall, Patriots. Injuries derailed Dykes career after just two seasons, but he had 83 catches and 1,344 yards.

1974: Reuben Gant, TE, 18th overall, Bills. Seven-year pro with 127 career catches and 15 touchdowns.

2009: Brandon Pettigrew, TE, 20th overall, Lions. Seven-year pro with 301 career catches and 17 touchdowns.

2012: Brandon Weeden, QB, 22nd overall, Browns. Record of 6-19 as an NFL starter over five seasons.

2010: Dez Bryant, WR, 24th overall, Cowboys. Made 99 starts for Dallas, with 531 catches and 73 touchdowns, then made a comeback for the Ravens last season, with six catches.

1970: John Ward, DT, 25th overall, Vikings. Played both offense and defense over six NFL seasons, making 16 starts.

1976: James "Duck" White, DE, 25th overall, Vikings. Eight-year pro who made 61 starts for Minnesota.

1998: R.W. McQuarters, DB, 28th overall, 49ers. Eleven-year pro with 14 interceptions — plus three in the 2008 playoffs for the Super Bowl champion Giants.

2004: Rashaun Woods, WR, 31st overall, 49ers. Played just one season, with seven catches for 160 yards.

Undrafted Cowboys

Several Cowboys will land in camps without being drafted. That doesn't mean a dead end to their football career. The 10 best NFL careers for undrafted Cowboys:

1. Tony Banfield, DB: In five years with the Houston Oilers (1960-64), Banfield made 61 starts and had 27 interceptions.

2. Juqua Parker, DE: In 12 NFL seasons (2001-12), Parker had 42 1/2 sacks, including 31 1/2 in seven years with the Eagles.

3. Duane Wood, DB: In five seasons with the Dallas Texans/Kansas City Chiefs (1960-64), Wood made 54 starts and had 20 interceptions.

4. Dan Bailey, K: Ten-year kicker (2011-20) set NFL records for accuracy, having made 249 of 290 career field-goal attempts.

5. Lane Taylor, OG: In eight years with Green Bay (2013-20), made 50 career starts blocking for Aaron Rodgers.

6. Cary Blanchard, K: In eight seasons (1992-94, 1995-00), made 165 of 214 career field-goal attempts.

7. Jacob Lacey, DB: A four-year pro who made 36 starts at cornerback (2009-12), Lacey had six interceptions, five of them for the Colts.

8. Charlie Durkee, K: The Saints' kicker in 1968-69 and 1971-72 made 52 of 101 field-goal attempts.

9. Kenyatta Wright, LB: Played two years with Buffalo (2000-01) and three years with the Jets (2003-05).

10. Blake Jarwin, TE: In four Dallas seasons so far, Jarwin has 59 catches and six touchdowns.

Steals by round

The best value picks of OSU players, for each round:

First round: Dez Bryant. Taken 22nd overall, many figured Bryant was risky because of his off-field antics. But Dez proved to be an excellent pro.

Second round: Thurman Thomas. Picking Cowboys in the second round is a good way to go. Jamal Williams was an excellent nose guard. Jerry Sherk was an outstanding defensive end. But Thomas made the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Third round: Jason Gildon. Twenty-five years apart, the Steelers made excellent third-round picks of OSU players. In 1969, Pittsburgh took Jon Kolb 56th overall, and he became an offensive line cornerstone on the Steelers' Super Bowl dynasty. But in 1994, the Steelers took Jason Gildon 88th overall, and he played 11 seasons and had 80 sacks, all but three for Pittsburgh.

Fourth round: Ryan McBean. The Steelers took McBean 132nd overall in 2007, and he was a solid pro, playing five years, making 21 starts on the defensive line.

Fifth round: Dexter Manley. The people's choice would be fullback Walt Garrison, the 79th overall pick in 1966 by the Dallas Cowboys. But Manley, the 119th overall pick, went to the Redskins in 1981 and was a defensive line star, making 120 career starts.

Sixth round: Charlie Johnson. The OSU tight end became a standout NFL offensive tackle, taken 199th overall in 2006, by the Colts. Johnson made 115 NFL starts, for the Colts and Vikings.

Seventh round: Derrel Gofourth. The offensive lineman, taken 177th overall by the Packers in 1977, played in 116 NFL games and made 72 career starts.

Eighth round: Leonard Thompson. The OSU halfback became an NFL receiver after the Lions picked him 194th overall in 1975. Thompson played 12 Detroit seasons and made 82 starts. He finished with 277 catches and 4,682 receiving yards,

Ninth round: Mike Green. The linebacker was taken 245th overall, by the Chargers, and started all 47 games of his career.

Tenth round: Ron Baker. The guard was picked 277th overall by the Colts in 1977 but played in 155 NFL Games, starting 109 for the Colts and Eagles.

Twelfth round: Howard Keys. The offensive lineman was taken 134th overall, by the Eagles, in 1959. He made 14 starts in a four-year career.

Fourteenth round: Jon Gilliam. The center was taken 161st overall, by the Packers, in 1960. He ended up with the AFL's Dallas Texans and played seven years, making 73 starts for the Texans/Chiefs.

Busts by round

OSU has had its share of busts, too.

First round: Justin Gilbert. Lots to pick from. Fenimore. Woods. But let's go with Gilbert.

Second round: Buddy Hardaway. The offensive tackle went 41st overall in 1978 to the Chargers. He played 12 games as a rookie and never played again.

Third round: Roger Taylor. The offensive tackle went 75th overall to the Chiefs in 1981. He played 13 games as a rookie, with no starts. That was his only year in the NFL.

Fourth round: Mark Moore. The hard-hitting safety went 84th overall to the Seahawks in 1987 but played only five games a rookie and never played again.

My new favorite website is verbalcommits.com. Those blessed folks have undertaken the yeoman's task of monitoring all the Division I college basketball transfers.

As of Thursday morning, a total of 1,484 Division I players had declared their intent to transfer, through the NCAA transfer portal, with 622 finding new homes in Division I. Some have landed at schools in other NCAA divisions, the NAIA or junior college. But the majority are still on the open market.

One of the latest landings is power forward Tyreek Smith, who is headed to OSU from Texas Tech. Another is center Kur Kuath, from OU to Marquette.

OSU's portal activity is minimal. Syracuse's Woody Newton and Texas Tech's Smith coming in, Ferron Flavors Jr. going out, to Robert Morris. No one else in the portal.

That's a blip compared to most college basketball teams. I did a random search. Pulled two names out of the hat.

Mississippi State, six going, two coming. Minnesota, eight going, five coming.

That sounds like the Sooners. Eight going, four coming.

Or Texas Tech. Seven going, two coming.

OSU basketball in 2021-22 figures to be a bastion of stability, compared to much of the rest of the nation. Will that lead to success?

Can't hurt.

Smith will help. He's a 6-foot-7, 225-pounder from Baton Rouge, Louisiana (Trinity Catholic High School). He made no starts for the Red Raiders and averaged 8.6 minutes, 2.6 points and 2.4 rebounds per game as a freshman, after redshirting in 2019-20. He ranked eighth in minutes played for Tech, basically serving as center Marcus Santos-Silva's backup.

Smith played eight minutes in each game against OSU, scoring a total of two points.

Smith took just eight 3-point shots all season but made three, so that's encouraging.

Smith's best game was nine points and six rebounds in a 69-49 rout of Texas Christian.

Smith played just four total minutes in two NCAA Tournament games, against Utah State and Arkansas.

So his experience and production lags far behind incumbent OSU big men Kalib Boone and Matthew-Alexander Moncriffe. Somewhere just above another Cowboy veteran, Bernard Kouma.

But for an OSU program that has battled depth issues and numbers problems, Smith's addition is another indication that Mike Boynton's roster is well-rounded. The Cowboys basically will be two-deep inside, and that's not counting Newton, who projects as a 6-foot-8 forward.

The portal and the new NCAA rule allowing a one-time transfer with immediate eligibility have created chaos across college basketball.

The Cowboys have mostly reaped the benefits, while avoiding the costs.

The 147th Kentucky Derby will be run Saturday at Churchill Downs, and like every year, only the most serious of horseheads know anything about the contestants.

I've been saying it for years. The Derby is not nearly as important as the Preakness. The Preakness is the race that determines whether we have a Triple Crown contender. The Derby is just the race that determines who we pay attention to in Baltimore.

But the Derby has tradition, and the Derby has the coolest name. The Kentucky Derby might be the best name of any major American sporting event.

Let's see. The Indianapolis 500 is good. The Super Bowl is OK. The World Series is fine. The Stanley Cup Finals is solid. The NBA Finals is boring. The Masters is problematic. The U.S. Opens are authoritative. The Rose Bowl has a regal ring. The Final Four is lyrical.

But nothing matches the Kentucky Derby.

And annually, my pre-Derby interest centers on the names of the horses. I'm always looking for the next Whirlaway or Seattle Slew. A champion horse with a name to match.

Twenty thoroughbreds are entered in the Kentucky Derby. Let's rank them by name, with their odds of winning.

1. Hot Rod Charlie 8-1: Not terribly sophisticated, but a great-sounding name. Reminds me of "Five O'Clock Charlie" from M*A*S*H. The idea of a horse named "Hot Rod" is wonderful in every way.

2. Midnight Bourbon 20-1: You can do a lot worse than a horse in the Kentucky Derby with a name that references bourbon.

3. Helium 50-1: I love short, pointed names. And this is a good one.

4. Brooklyn Strong 50-1: Geographic references never hurt.

5. Sainthood 50-1: Some of the best names are one word, and this isn't bad.

6. Bourbonic 30-1: I like it. But "Bourbonic Plague" would have been even better.

7. Mandaloun 15-1: Cool-sounding word that means a type of Lebanese architecture.

8. O Besos 20-1: Besos is Spanish for "kisses."

9. Medina Spirit 15-1: Colleague Mark Medina of USA Today, who covers the NBA, probably is all in on this horse.

10. Hidden Stash 50-1: Not too bad. Sort of whimsical.

11. King Fury 20-1: You would think this name has it all. A regal title in "King." A descriptive word like "Fury." But it somehow lacks a punch.

12. Like the King 50-1: Multiple meanings. I don't know if that's good or bad.

13. Super Stock 30-1: At least it's relatively short.

14. Essential Quality 2-1: Two good words that don't work together.

15. Highly Motivated 10-1: The owners weren't highly motivated to come up with a better name.

16. Known Agenda 6-1: Doesn't really seem to flow.

17. Dynamic One 20-1: I've always hated "one" as a noun, and I'm not going to relax those standards now.

18. Rock Your World 5-1: Seems more fitting for pop culture than the genteel world of horse racing.

19. Soup and Sandwich 30-1: Sometimes, I judge these names by how they would sound, standing in a pasture, calling a horse by name. And this would be just silly.

20. Keepmeinmind 50-1: Running words together is the Derby equivalent of wearing sweat pants all day.

My friend Kelly McKeown emailed me last week, all fired up about the upcoming Big 12 Golf Championship.

He proclaimed it the greatest Big 12 event ever staged. Three top-five programs (top-ranked OU, No. 3 OSU, No. 5 Texas), competing at Prairie Dunes, one of the world's best golf venues.

I sort of patted McKeown on the head, wrote up a story and forgot about it.

Then danged if he wasn't proven right.

OSU won the Big 12 title Wednesday after a rousing three days of golf.

OU led OSU by one stroke after 36 holes on Monday. Texas was eight back of the Sooners.

Then all three teams were tied for the lead Tuesday after 54 holes, at 16-over par.

The teams stayed neck and neck Wednesday. OU, playing in the group ahead of OSU and Texas, got into the clubhouse at 10-over par. OSU and Texas were tied at 9-over.

OSU's Alan Bratton, who played for the Cowboys in the 1990s and was a long-time assistant coach before taking over as head coach, called it one of the most exciting tournaments he's seen.

"Especially with three teams involved," Bratton said. "We kept trading spots at the top all day."

McKeown was on the course and sent me a play-by-play description. It was exciting enough, I'll let him take over.

"Crazy good," McKeown said of the finish. "Really started at 16, with (OSU's Aman) Gupta making a birdie from the gunch, then (OSU's) Austin Eckroat did also.

"But 18, Eckroat and the Texas kid were pin high but in the bunker. Front flag, fast as lightning, downhill slope. The Texas kid was out and just caught too much ball and flew it over the green. He has to play again and chipped past the hole and made double (bogey).

"This made Eckroat's shot much easier; he chunked it out but missed the par putt. At this point, OSU is one up with (Texas' Cole) Hammer vs. (OSU's Bo) Jin on 18.

"On 18, both players hit iron off the tee, but Jin lays way back and has 160 (yards) plus into a north, front flag.

"Hammer (who took down Matthew Wolff at the Blessings in 2019) only has 125 in. Jin proceeds to play first and hits a lovely knockdown iron shot that stopped 20 feet past the hole. Hammer is next with a wedge and hits past the hole but has too much spin and goes off the green (remember, front pin position).

"At this point, Texas is done, but OU is waiting, hovering around the green (every player, coach and small fan base), hoping Jin three-putts, because if he makes bogey, it's an OU-OSU playoff. Jin, the Beijing Bomber, snuggles it to 16 inches and proceeds to tap in to make par for the trophy.

"Hammer chips it up close, taps in for the individual title (one shot ahead of Jin and OU's Quade Cummins). He (Hammer) is a stud. I want stock in Hammer, Jin and Eckroat right now."

Eckroat, a fourth-year junior from Edmond North, shot 65 Wednesday to finish two-over for the tournament, good for fifth place. Jin shot 72-67-70-68 to finish three-under.

Cowboy Eugeno Lopez-Chacarra shot 69 in the final round and finished 9-over, tied for 10th with Gupta, whose final three rounds were 70-70-71 after an opening 78.

"The best part of our week, just depth throughout the lineup," Bratton said. "This week, we had four of our five guys put up rounds in the 60s. The other shot 70 twice. Everybody contributed. It was great to see."

Meanwhile, OU was out of the drama but in the tournament.

Cummins was sensational, with a 67-72-72-66. Logan McAllister tied for sixth at six-over, shooting 76-69-73-68. North Carolina-Greensboro transfer Jonathan Brightwell rebounded from an opening 84 to shoot 72-70-67.

It was a phenomenal tournament. Everything Kelly McKeown said it would be.

My Russell Westbrook item from last week did not age well. Westbrook has played much better, the Wizards keep winning and Westbrook seems to be having a good time. But still, Washington is 28-34, and while headed for a likely spot in the play-in tournament, the Wizards don't seem long for the playoffs or to have a bright future.

Carole: "I've watched Russ this year whenever he's on television. Though you know he would never admit it, to me, he feels lost. Like me, maybe he believed he would be in OKC until the end. And I think it was time for him to venture forth. I think feeling lost was unforeseen. I think he thought everything would be fine with his buddy, James H., and when it didn't work out... Of course, this is speculation, but remember — I ALWAYS believed Russ would be the one to stay and KD would leave."

Tramel: Well, you were right about that one. I wonder if Westbrook is glad he agreed to a trade? The truth is, when Paul George asked for the trade to the Clippers, the Thunder was more than happy to also trade Westbrook and get on the road to rebuilding. Keep Westbrook, and the Thunder would be more competitive than they are now, and they still would have Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and a bunch of draft picks. But Westbrook's stifling contract would remain.

Berry Tramel: Berry can be reached at 405-760-8080 or at [email protected]. He can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including FM-98.1. Support his work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today.

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