Page 22-Friday, May 4, 1979-The Michigan Daily
Cousineau first NFL pick
Blue lineman Giesler
drafted by Dolphins
By AP andUPI
NEW YORK-The Buffalo
Bills began the instant
rebuilding of their porous
defense yesterday by selecting
Ohio State linebacker Tom
Cousineau as the No. 1 selection
in the National Football League
college draft.
The Bills' choice was no surprise.
Neither was the No. 2 choice, by the
Kansas City Chiefs, who also sought
defensive help by selecting Colorado
State defensive end Mike Bell.
And the Cincinnati Bengals began the
revamping of their erratic offense by
using their two opening round picks to
grab Washington State quarterback
Jack Thompson and Louisiana State
running back Charles Alexander.
THE MIAMI DOLPHINS, seeking to
rebuild their injury-riddled offensive
line, first named Michigan's John
Giesler, a 6-5, 233-pound tackle. Giesler
was a former Ohio state high school
shot put champion and replaced Mike
Kenn, a No. 1 draft pick of Atlanta last
year, asa starter for the Wolverines.
Cousineau, a 6-foot-3, 227-pound All-
American, is certain to become an in-
stant millionaire. Last year's No. 1
selection, Earl Campbell, was signed
by the Houston Oilers for close to $3
million.
What will Cousineau do with the in-
stant affluence?
"I can't even specualte about that,"
he said. "Make more, I guess. I don't
think my lifestyle will change. I like the
way I do things now."
SO DO THE Buffalo Bills, who made
Cousineau an instant celebrity when
they named the All-American the top
choice in the NFL draft.
"This is something I've looked for-
ward to for years," said Cousineau,
who has been a linebacker since he
started playing football in the third
grade.
The game always has been fun for
him and he wants to keep it in that per-
spective when he moves into the pros.
"I DON'T WORK myself up into a
frenzy like some guys," he said. "This
is a little kid's game. I geta charge just
stepping onto the field. I enjoy the
aggressiveness, the contact, the
association of football."
Cousineau grew up in Ohio with more
or less split allegiances as far as the
pros are concerned.
"I always liked the Chicago Bears,
basically because of (middle
linebacker) Dick Butkus," he said.
"Then I started to follow Oakland
because they're a very aggressive
team. When quarterback Joe Namath
came along, I got interested in the New
York Jets."
THE BENGALS' choice of Thom-
pson, the "Throwin' Samoan," sent
murmurs through the NFL draft
headquarters, the 18th floor Starlight
Roof ballroom at the swank Waldorf-
Astoria Hotel.
The Bengals had been expected to
select tight end Kellen Winslow from
Missouri, who eventually was taken by
San Diego.
After the Bengals picked Thompson,
the Chicago Bears selected Dan Ham-
pton, a defensive tackle from Arkansas,
then Buffalo used its other first-round
pick to take Clemson wide receiver
WHILE OHIO STATE'S Tom Cousineau (right) was picked first in yester-
day's NFL draft, the first Wolverine gridder wasn't drafted until the latter
part of the first round. Jon Giesler (left) was surprised at being selected
so early. Six of Giesler's teammates, including quarterback Rick Leach,
were taken in much later rounds. The player selection process continues
today.
Jerry Butler. Baltimore selected
Alabama linebacker Barry Krauss.
When Thompson was selected No. 3,
it threw the New York Giants plans out
of whack. They were hoping to take the
NCAA's all-time passing leader.
There were other high-visibility quar-
terbacks still around, Steve Fuller of
Clemson and Alabama's Jeff Rutledge
among them. But when the Giants turn
came, they used the seventh pick of the
opening round to take little-known
quarterback Phil Simms from little
Morehead State in Kentucky.
That brought derisive cheers and
outright booing from the packed
gallery. The local football fans, used to
such Giants selections as Eldridge
Small, Larry Jacobson, Rocky Thom-
pson and other NFL failures, expressed
the opinion that the Giants had done it
again.
COMPARES SHULA TO SCHEMBECHLER
esler: wasn t expecting it'
By DAN PERRIN
the Major League baseball draft in June. His indecision bet-
In recent years, it has been commonplace to find an ween professional football and baseball is the main reason
absence of Michigan football players in the early rounds of Leach was drafted so low, according to coach Bo Schem-
the NFL draft. Yesterday's first round of the 1979 draft was bechler.
no exception, as only one Wolverine was selected in the first If he does decide to join the NFL Broncos, Leach will be
three rounds. reunited with former Michigan fullback Rob Lytle.
Offensive guard Jon Giesler was a surprise first-round -
choice while All-American quarterback Rick Leach was for-
ced to wait until the Denver Broncos tabbed him in the fifth J7' olterines drafted v1 esterdav
round. Fellow Wolverines Russell Davis, Tom Seabron,
Harlan Huckleby, Jerry Meter and Bill Dufek were all Name Position Drafted By Round-Pick
claimed in later rounds. Jon Giesler Tackle Miami 1-24
Giesler, the 24th overall pick in the draft, was chosen by Russell Davis Running Back Pittsburgh 4-4
the Miami Dolphins and will move to guard, where he will Tom Seabron Linebacker San Francisco 5-1
help shore up an aging offensive line, according to Miami Harlan Huckleby Running Back New Orleans 5-10
coach Don Shula. Jerry Meter Linebacker Minnesota 5-se
Giesler said he was "proud" to be selected in the first Rick Leach Quarterback Denver 5-22
round. "I wasn't expecting it," exclaimed the 6-5, 253 pound Bill Dufek Guard New York Jets 0-12
Ohioan. "I couldn't believe it, I didn't think I'd go that high in ''- m e' -,
the draft. Bruising fullback Davis was selected by the Super Bowl
"I'm happy I'm going with another winner," Giesler ad- champion Pittsburgh Steelers in the fourth round, while
ded. "I compare Don Shula to Bo (Schembechler); both are Seabron (San Francisco), Huckleby (New Orleans) and
winners." Meter (Minnesota) were all picked in the fif th round.
Leach, who broke numerous Michigan, Big Ten and NCAA Often-injured lineman Bill Dufek was snapped up by the
records the last four years, is currently playing centerfield New York Jets by the sixth and final round of the first day of
for the Wolverine baseball team and is expected to go high in the draft.
Still, Simms is projected as a
"sleeper," a lightly regarded collegian
who could blossom into pro stardom.
NFL draft ordvr
First Round
1. Buffalo, (from San Francisco), Tom Cousineau,
lb, Ohio State. 2. Kansas City, Mike Bell, de,
Colorado State. 3. Cincinnati, Jack Thompsoqb.
Washington State. 4. Chicaga. from Tamopa Bay. Dan
Hampton, dt, Arkansas. 5. Buffalo, Jerry Butler, wr,
Clemson. 6. Baltimore, Barry Krauss, lb, Alabama.
7. New York Giants, Phil Simms, qb, Morehead
State.8.St. Louis, Ottis Anderson;rb, Miami, Fla. 9.
Chicago, Al Harris, de, Arizona State. 10. Detroit,
Keith Dnoey at,sPeoo State. 1. New Orleans,
RusseliErEelee, k, Texas. t2. Cincitnati (tram
Washington); Charles Alexander, rb, Louisiana
State. 13. San Diego (from Cleveland), Kellen Win-
slow, te, Missouri, 14. New York Jets, Marty Lyons,
de, Alahama.
15. Gree Bay, Eddie Lee Ivery, rb, Georgia Tech.
16. Minnesota, Ted Brown, rb, North Carolina State.
17. Atlanta, Don Smith, de, Miami, Fla. 18. Seattle,
Manu Tuiasosopo, dt, UCLA. 19. Los Angeles, (from
Oakland), George Andrews, lb, Nebraska. 20.
Clevetad (team San Diego), Willis Adams, me,
Houstot. 2t. Philadelphia. Jerry Roison, 1h,
UCLA. 22. Denver, Kelvin Clark, ot, Nebraska. 23.
Kansas City, from Houston, Steve Fuller, qb, Clem-
son. 24. Miami, Jon Giesler, ot, Michigan. 25. New
Englaod, Rick Saoford, dh. Sooth Carolina. 26. Lot
Aogeles. Kent Hill, o1. Georgia Tech. 27. Dallas
Robert Shaw, c, Tennessee. 28. Pittsburgh, Greg
Hawthorne, rb, Baylor.
Second Round
1. San Francisco, James owens, wr, UCLA.2. Cin-
cinnati, Dan Ross, te, Northeastern. 3. Houston
(from Kansas City), Mike Stensrud, de, Iowa St. 4.
Buffalo, Fred Smerlas, dt, Boston College. 5. Tampa
Bay (from Baltimore through Oakland), Greg
Roberts, g, Oklahoma. Tampa Bay, Gordon Jones,
wr, Pittsburgh. 7. St. Louis, Theotis Brown, rb,
UCLA. 8. New York Giants, Ernest Gray, wr, Mem-
phis St. 9. Detroit, Ken Fantetti, lb, Wyoming. 10.
New Orleans, Reggie Mathis, lb, Oklahoma It.
Chicago, Rickey Watts, wr, Tulsa. 12. Cleveland,
Lawrence Johnson, db, Wisconsin. 13. New York
Jets, Mark Gastineau, de, East Central Okla. St. 14.
Oakland from Washington through St. Louis, Willie
Jones, de, Florida St. 15. Minesota, Dave Huffman,
c, Notre Dame.16. Green Bay. Steve Atims, rb,
Maryland. 17. Seattle, Joe Norman, b, Indiana. 18.
St. Louis (from Okla) Calvin Favron, th, Southeast
Louisiana. 19. Cleveland (from San Diego), Sam
Claphan, t, Oklahoma. 20. Philadelphia, Peter Perot,
g, Northwest Louisiana. 21. Atlanta, Pat Howell, g,
Southern California. 22. Houston, Jesse Baer, de,
Jacksoville St23. Bufalo (from Denver), Jim
Haslett, 1h, Indiana (Pa.). 24. New England, Boh
Golic, lb, Notre Dame. 25. Miami, Jeff Toews, t,
Washington. 26. Los Angeles, Eddie Hill, rb, Mem-
phis St. 27. Dallas, Aaron Mitchell, db, Nevada-Las
vegas. 28. Pittsburgh, Jack valentine, lb, East
Carolina.