So Phil Simms was famously booed (with Pete Rozelle sporting a shit-eating grin) when he was drafted by the Giants in 1979, something that was shown via archive footage from the 1986 America’s Game.
For someone who was alive then, why did everyone boo Simms? Who did they want instead?
The Giants, picking four places after the Cincinnati Bengals chose Jack Thompson of Washington State, generally rated the top quarterback prospect this year, selected Phil Simms, a quarterback from little Morehead State University (enrollment 7,200) in Kentucky.
The choice was a clear indication that the new head coach, Ray Perkins, and the new general manager, George Young, are not overjoyed with the quarterbacks they have inherited. The Giants’ passing game was rated “no better than a junior high school team's” in one scouting report.
To get Simms, however, they passed up players such as Charles Alexander, the Louisiana State University fullback, and Kellen Winslow, the Missouri tight end, who might have helped fill some of their other offensive needs. Those were the names that were being called out by the gallery before the Giants turn came. Simms’ name was greeted with boos.
Simms was such a surprise choice that Tom Power, the promotions director who took the selection over the phone from the team's bunker in Giants Stadium, started writing “Moorehead” instead of “Morehead” under the space for the player's name on the card to be presented to Commissioner Pete Rozelle at the Waldorf‐Astoria.
The Giants have a history of strange first‐round choices. The most infamous, of course, was Rocky Thompson of West Texas State in 1971.
Simms, a 6‐foot‐2¼‐inch, 216‐pound right‐handed thrower who was only a second‐team selection on the all‐Ohio Valley Conference squad last season, was not well‐known by the public. But most scouting reports rated him the second or third best quarterback prospect.
“Thompson‐Simms, Simms‐Thompson,” said Jerry Shay, the Giants’ chief scout, who was responsible for the firstround selection in 1976 of the then‐unheralded Troy Archer. “We had them rated about even.”
“I think Phil Simms, at some paint in time, has a chance to be a great quarterback,” said Perkins.
The coach said that the Giants had Giants Pick Simms, A Quarterback, No. 1 made up their minds to take a quarterback on the first round and that “we had good reason to believe he [Simms] would not be there in the second round.”
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John McVay, Perkins's predecessor and now director of player personnel for the San Francisco 49ers, told one Giant official, “You guys made one hell of a pick.” The 49ers, who picked first on the second round, were believed prepared to take Simms, whom they had rated ahead of Thompson. Shay said there was “no way” that Simms would have lasted even that far.
On the second round, the Giants passed up such running‐back prospects as Tony Nathan of Alabama and Steve Atkins of Maryland to try again to improve their passing game. They chose Ernest Gray, a 6‐3, 195‐pound wide receiver from Memphis State with 4.5second speed for the 40‐yard dash and a National Collegiate record as a junior of 29.5 yards a reception. Shay rated Gray as “another first‐round choice.”
“I'm not trying to brag on myself,” said Gray, “but I have a good pair of hands and deceptive speed because of my long stride.”
Possible Starters
Gray could well be a starter this year. And so could Simms, who reminds both Perkins and Shay of Terry Bradshaw. “He even looks like Bradshaw,” said Shay. “He's blond, big, rawboned. He looks like his clone.”
Simms was visited by Perkins on April 17. The quarterback threw some passes for the coach, and then they had dinner together.
“I know that from what he saw he must have liked me to pick me No. 1,” said Simms by telephone from a Holiday Inn near the Morehead State campus. “I threw the ball well that day, I think, because of the relaxed mood he put me in.”
Simms's team had even a worse season than the Giants did last year — 2‐61. Because, like the Giants, Morehead State tried a ball‐control offense, the quarterback's statistics were not superior. Simms completed 92 of 173 passes, a good 53.2 percentage, but for only 1,229 yards, six touchdowns and 11 Interceptions. For his four‐year career, he completed 409 of 836 passes, 48.9 percent, for a school‐record 5,545 yards and 32 touchdowns, with 45 interceptions.
The Giants, whose third‐round pick went to Miami as compensation for the signing of Larry Csonka in 1976, went to a major college in the fourth round, choosing Phil Tabor, a defensive lineman who led Oklahoma in quarterback sacks last season with 10. With Jack Gregory, the 35‐year‐old defensive captain, apparently being primed for retirement, the Giants felt they had to strengthen their front four.
Giants Selections
Phil Simms, quarterback, Morehead State; Ernest Gray, wide receiver, Memphis State; Phil Tabor, defensive back, Oklahoma; Cleveland Jackson, tight end, Nevada‐Las Vegas; Bob Torrey, running back, Penn State; Eddie Hicks, running back, East Carolima.
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exactly...no one knew who the hell he was.
However, my tune changed pretty quickly after reading the next days papers. The beat writers were very positive about the pick and said he was a sleeper who was highly regarded by a lot of teams. Also Ray Perkins had worked him out extensively. All this was reassuring. It wasn't the same old Giants after all - they knew what they were doing. Didn't mean he was going to be any good but he definitely had a lot of potential.
That's why people booed.
Worked out just fine, and we even got Ottis later.
Did Bill Walsh Really Target Joe Montana in 1979? - ( New Window )
Kellen Winslow would have been nice, who was gonna throw to him?
A kid from Clemson Steve Fuller,
And Jeff Rutledge from Alabama.
Not a single mention of little Morehead State.
There was no Internet, No WFAN.....you had to get your Draft Updates from CBS News Radio 88 on the quarter hour. I went out to my car at lunchtime, the radio took great joy in replaying the Giants' pick and the crowd reaction. That was tough to take.
The next day in the Newark Star Ledger, Dave Klein had a glowing article, probably fed the info for the Giants Front Office.
I pledged to give the New Kid a chance. We had just watched Craig Morton, Jerry Goldstein and Joe Pisarchick make a mockery of the QB position.
It took a few years and a few injuries, but it paid off in '84 when a Giants QB finally crossed into the exalted 4000 yards passing territory.
God Bless you Phil Simms.....one less Earnest Gray dropped TD Pass and you'd be a lock for the HOF.
I don’t think so, and if if it was a fledgling, early on they didn’t have NFL stuff, it was a lot of equestrian events, worlds strongest man, lumberjack competitions...like the fictional ESPN 8- The Ocho.
Looking at Simms’ numbers, holy backlash! His ints were higher than TDs, he played in a ball control O. If he was picked at 1 today fans would riot and Twitter servers would go down from all the flames. I like that they saw him as a Terry Bradshaw clone.
I have been watching a lot of his games on YouTube and he also was a victim of a lot of dropped passes.
I don't remember the name of the hotel they held the draft in that year, but it had a modest sized gallery, holding maybe a couple-hundred fans. It wasn't a big thing, it was only die-hard draftniks there and the reaction was more like, "Phil who?".
When it came time for Rozelle to announce Simms as the Giants pick there were a few audible groans from the fans but not a huge deal. The local NY TV members thought it would be great to have the pick recorded so it could be aired that evening. Allegedly it took some prodding and cajoling to get him to do so, but he finally relented. Watch the film again, it is totally staged. As Rozelle steps up to the mic, you'll see him crack a half smile. The Giants fans who were there were juiced and took the opportunity to let themselves be heard. Rozelle even gooses their reaction reaction by emphasizing the call "the Giants select...[dramatic pause]...QUARTERBACK...[fans begin howling]...Phil Simms from Moorehead State..." and he walks away from the podium snickering. It was borderline WWF choreography in real life!
It turned out to be a boon of free publicity though. Aside from being braodcast all over the local news that night, the pick wa splastered on the back pages of all the sports sections, which was normally reserved for baseball in April. Before 1979 most fans weren't even aware there was an NFL draft in April. The 1980 draft was moved to a bigger hotel with a larger gallery and the NFL hype machine took it from there. I think it was a year later ESPN began airing the draft live. No one had ever considered fans would be interested in watching a 10-hour business meeting, but that second take of the Simms pick in 1979 inadvertently created a whole new phenomena: Draft Mania!
This was only a few months after the infamous 1978 season, the Pisarcik fumble, fans burning tickets outside the stadium and flaying a chartered plane saying "15 Years Of Lousy Football, We've Had Enough".
They were on their fourth coach in seven years, this was the first pick of the new Young/Perkins regime.
You can't blame them for having been a little salty! :)
"Who the hell is Phil Simms? And where the [bleep] is Morehead State?!?"
"Who the hell is Phil Simms? And where the [bleep] is Morehead State?!?"
The ironic part is that Bill Walsh wanted Simms in the first round, but the Giants took him first. The 49ers ended up getting Montana with the final pick of the third round.
1979 NFL Draft - ( New Window )
I’ve seen a number of people equate the Jones pick to Simms. “No one knew who Simms was either”, or, “Giants fans booed Simms too” and look how that all worked out. The problem with those comparisons though is that while fans didn’t know who Simms was, he was generally regarded as being the second or third best QB in the draft. So, not to turn this into another Jones thread, but the comparisons to Simms, either in terms of the scouting and draft slot, or in terms of the Giants fan reaction, doesn’t really hold up under scrutiny.
Anyway, good post and good comments!
Don't be so sure about that.
They would have kept the stadium doors closed for Joe Clifford. ;)
B)Morehead? Where’s Morehead?
Anyone who can come back from back surgery 56 days later to play (1986), and return after Burt, Marshall, etc. is entitled the benefit of the doubt at merely surviving in the league behind an allegedly terrible OL.
Buddy Ryan Eagles in '89 and Oilers in '93 smashed him up hard and couldn't KO him or beat him.
I know, Ronnie Lott was the only tough player in the Bay.
LOL.
Oh man! I still remember that play and thinking afterward, "this could actually be the year".
GY said you have to give the fans hope, and a QB does that.....one of the reasons - besides pure talent - that the pick was made.
The Simms deep out pass and seam pass are still among the best I've seen..........