David Rothman is a systems analyst and college football buff from Canoga Park, Calif. By programming a computer to analyze "RRE values," "Newton-Raphson approximations" and "hypothetical win fractions," Rothman figured to find out which team ranked first. He did. He discovered what everyone knew already—that last season's leader was the University of Southern California. Last week other fans had another question for Rothman's computer: Where did it rank the Jackson State Tigers of Jackson, Miss.? The answer was: No. 98, under the general classification: "Other Teams."
Clearly, something was wrong. At their annual college player draft in Manhattan, representatives of the 26 pro teams chose eleven players from the Jackson State roster—the same number they drafted from National Champion Southern Cal. The pro scouts had reason to admire the all-Negro college with only 1,183 male students. Last season the Tigers upset Grambling of Louisiana 20-14—and to the pros that was like beating Notre Dame. Over the years Grambling has supplied such pro stars as Green Bay's Willie Davis, Chicago's Roosevelt Taylor and Kansas City's Buck Buchanan and Ernie Ladd. In Jackson State, the money players obviously think that they have discovered a new source of supply.
Tigers All. It seems that they have. Tackle Tom Punches, drafted by the A.F.L.'s Boston Patriots, stands 6 ft. 5 in., weighs 250 Ibs., and can run 40 yds. in 4.8 sec. in full football gear. Doug Chatman, picked by the N.F.L.'s New York Giants, is a 244-lb. defensive end. Then there are the three Jacksons—no relation to the town, the college, or each other. Harold, a flanker back, runs the 100 in 9.5 sec., and set a school record in 1966 by catching 57 passes. Cephus, a linebacker, owns the school mark for most individual tackles (13) in a game. And James is a 6-ft. 4-in., 268-lb. defensive tackle.
Despite Jackson State's impressive draft performance, the big money was still riding on big names from big schools—where the coaching and caliber of play is only a cut below the pros. First man picked last week—by the N.F.L.'s Minnesota Vikings—was Ron Vary, a 245-lb. offensive tackle and two-time TIME All-America from Southern Cal. Four other Trojans were also first-round choices. The only real surprise in the early rounds of the draft was the way the pros ignored U.C.L.A. Quarterback Gary Beban, winner of the Heisman Trophy as the best college player of 1967. Beban finally made it—as the 30th draft choice—when the N.F.L.'s Los Angeles Rams picked him in the second round. Some sportswriters suggested that Beban had priced himself out of the market by demanding $100,000-plus; others claimed that the Rams already had an option on Gary's services prior to the draft. Some pro scouts told a different story. Said one: "He's too small, and his short passes are too hard to catch."