This post is part of the 50 Seasons in 50 Weeks Series.Just days before the 1972 NFL Draft, Dallas running back Duane Thomas was arrested with his brother Bertrand for marijuana possession. With quite a bit of talk focused on whether the Cowboys would trade Duane, Dallas decided to pick another Thomas with the last pick of the first round of the draft.
Bill Thomas of Boston College was a surprise pick for Dallas. He did not last long with the Cowboys. He was injured in training camp and only played part of one season. Dallas traded him to Houston in 1973, and he was out of the league by 1975.
Dallas also went with a running back in the second round. The Cowboys had much better luck with Robert Newhouse, who remained with the team for 12 seasons.
The only other player worth noting in the 1972 draft was tight end Jean Fugett, who remained with the team for four seasons before being traded to Washington.
Round Name Pos. College Career 1 Bill Thomas RB Boston College Dallas, 1972; Houston, 1973; Kansas City, 1974 2 Robert Newhouse RB Houston Dallas, 1972-1983 2 John Babinecz LB Villanova Dallas, 1972-1973; Chicago, 1975 2 Charlie McKee WR Arizona n/a 3 Mike Keller LB Michigan Dallas, 1972 3 Marv Bateman P Utah Dallas, 1972-1974; Buffalo, 1974-1977. 4 Tim Kearney LB Northern Michigan Cincinnati, 1972-1974; Kansas City, 1975; St. Louis, 1976-1981 4 Robert West WR San Diego State Kansas City, 1972-1973; San Francisco, 1974 4 Charlie Zapiec LB Penn State n/a 6 Charles Bolden DB Iowa n/a 8 Ralph Coleman LB North Carolina A&T Dallas, 1972 9 Roy Bell RB Oklahoma n/a 10 Richard Amman DE Florida State Baltimore, 1972-1973 11 Lonnie Leonard DE North Carolina A&T n/a 12 Jimmy Harris WR Ohio State n/a 13 Jean Fugett TE Amherst Dallas, 1972-1975; Washington, 1976-1979 14 Alan Thompson RB Wisconsin n/a 15 Carlos Alvarez WR Florida n/a 16 Gordon Longmire QB Utah n/a 17 Alfonso Cain DT Bethune-Cookman n/a
Grade the 1972 Draft.
My grade: C-
Picking Thomas in the first round was a stretch, and when he was injured early, he turned out to be a waste. John Babinecz was another player whose career was cut short due to injury.
On the other hand, Newhouse was a solid player for a long time. He could not match the talent of Calvin Hill or Duane Thomas, but he was serviceable.
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