Page 10-Thursday, July 15, 1982--The Michigan Daily
Grid t1,
By RON POLLACK
When the Baltimore Colts' rookies
report to their new team tomorrow,
training camp in the National Football
League will officially begin. The
Michigan football program has
produced a number of players who will
be going through pre-season workouts
around the league, and the following is
a look at where these former Wolverine
gridders are playing.
AMERICAN FOOTBALL
CONFERENCE
Eastern Division
Baltimore Colts - None.
BUFFALO BILLS -offensive guard.,
Reggie McKenzie. There has been
speculation that McKenzie will retire,
but if he should play, it will be his 11th
NFL season. In 1973 and 1974, McKenzie
earned All-Pro honors, and in 1980 he
was second-team All-AFC. He had
played in 140 consecutive games until
last year when he injured his knee
against the Miami Dolphins, causing
him to miss the final 10 games of the
season. McKenzie is the last remaining
member on the Buffalo squad of the
Electric Company-the Bills offensive
line when OJ Smpson rambled for a
record setting 2,003 yards in 1973. The 6-
5, 242 pounder was drafted by the Bills
in the second round of the 1972 draft.
Miami Dolphins - offensive tackle
Jon Geisler.,Drafted in the first round
of the 1979 draft by Miami, Geisler has
gone on to become a starter.
New England-Patriots - None.
NEW YORK JETS-None.
Central Division
Cincinnati Bengals-Linebackers
Ron Simpkins and Ben Needham. Sim-
pkins was drafted in the seventh round
of the 1980 draft. As a rookie he saw
most of his action on the special teams,
although he did start a couple of games.
Simpkins missed all of last season with
a knee injury. Needham was a seventh
round pick in this year's
draft.Needham had 62 tackles for
Michigan last year, fourth best on the
team, and was named Defensive MVP
'ainig camps
in the Wolverines' 33-14 victory over season in Cleveland as he was put on
UCLA in the Bluebonnet Bowl. waivers in January. No NFL team has
Cleveland Browns-None. For 10 picked him up since that time. Darden
years, former Wolverine Thom Darden earned All-Pro honors in 1978, a year in
donned a Browns' uniform. However, which he intercepted 10 passes, setting
the defensive back-will not play an 11th a team record which still stands. He in-
open . .
tercepted 42 career passes. Darden was
selected by Cleveland in the first round
of the 1972 draft.
HOUSTON OILERS-Running back
Stan Edwards. Selected in the third
round of this year's draft, Edwards will
be shifted from fullback (where he
played as a junior and senior at
Michigan) to halfback (where he
played as a freshman and sophomore).
Edwards will fight it out with Adger
Armstrong for the starting halfback
spot. Armstrong was Houston's second
leading rusher last season, but only had
146 yards on 31 carries in an offense
dominated by fullback Earl Campbell.
Should Edwards earn the starting ber-
th, he is no stranger to taking a back
seat to another back. As a junior, he
rushed for 901 yards, but last season he
was overshadowed by Butch Woolfolk
and gained only 445 yards while being
used mostly as a blocking back. Ed-
wards gained 2,206 career yards,
placing him ninth on the all-time
Wolverine list.
Pittsburgh Steelers - Running back
Russell Davis, wide receiver Jim Smith
and offensive guard John Powers. Davis
carried the ball 47 times last season for
270 yards (5.7 yard average) and one
touchdown. The Steelers' 1979 fourth
round draft choice had one 100 yard
game. Although a backup to Lynn
Swann and John Stallworth, Smith has
seen substantial playing time recently.
In fact, he has led the team in touch-
down receptions the last two years.
Last season, he caught 29 passes for 571
yards and seven touchdowns. He had
nine touchdowns the previous year.
Smith was drafted by Pittsburgh in the
third round of the 1977 draft. Powers
was drafted by the New York Giants
last year in the eighth round, but was
subsequently cut from the squad. He is
trying out with the Steelers this sum-
mer as a free agent.
Western Division
San Diego Chargers-None.
OAKLAND RAIDERS-Offensive
tackle Ed Muransky. Muranky lasted
until the fourth round of this year's
draft, due much to the fact that he
gained a lot of weight after the college
season ended. He has, however, lost
that weight since then. Muransky was a
First Team All-American last fall (AP,
UPI) and consensus All-Big Ten. In
1980, he was All-Big Ten and Honorable
Mention All-American. He started in
each of the last 36 straight games at
tackle for Michigan the last three
seasons, but chose to pass up his final
year of eligibility.
Kansas City Chiefs-None.
Denver Broncos-Defensive back
Mike Harden and running back Rob
Lytle. Harden, a third year pro, plays in
a backup capacity for the Broncos at
safety. He was drafted by Denver in the
fifth round of the 1980 draft. Lytle was
selected in the second round of the 1977
draft, and after initial success with the
Broncos he has fallen upon hard times.
He was a starter at the end of his rookie
campaign when the Broncos finished
12-2 and went on to the Super Bowl
where they lost to Dallas. But since that
time, the injury bug has plagued Lytle.
In the 1978 opener versus Oakland,
Lytle broke his ankle. He also suffered
a knee injury that year. In the pre-
season of 1979, Lytle suffered another
knee injury. Last year, he had a
shoulder operation.
SEATTLE SEAHAWKS-Defensive
backs Dave Brown; Don Dufek and
Tony Jackson. Brown was chosen by
the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first
Daily Photo
STAN EDWARDS TRIES in vain to reach out and grab a pass against Ohio
State this past season. Edwards was drafted in the third round of this year's
draft by the Houston Oilers, and will fight it out with the Oilers' Adger Ar-
mstrong for the starting halfback spot.
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