The Dallas Cowboys Took Six Hours to Select Mel Renfro in 1964 NFL Draft

Published on April 9th, 2023 2:02 pm EST
Written By: Dave Manuel


Did you know that it took the Dallas Cowboys six hours to select Mel Renfro in the 1964 NFL Draft?

Back in those days, there was no "clock" at the draft - instead, all of the other teams would simply wait as long as necessary for a team to make their pick.

The 1964 NFL Draft was paused for six hours while the Dallas Cowboys did some last-minute due diligence on Mel Renfro.

It paid off.

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The Dallas Cowboys really liked Mel Renfro, who excelled at the University of Oregon as a two-way player (halfback, defensive back).

There was just one problem.

In a fit of rage after hearing about President Kennedy's assassination, Mel Renfro reportedly put his fist through a medicine cabinet, doing some damage to his wrist.

Other teams were put off after hearing about this news, but the Cowboys really wanted Renfro.

So what did the Cowboys do?

They took their time and hired an orthopedic surgeon by the name of Dr. Slocum to drive 110km to examine Renfro's wrist.

This took place DURING the draft.

All of the other NFL teams were simply twiddling their thumbs, waiting for the Cowboys to make their selection.

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Dr. Slocum examined Mel Renfro and quickly rendered his decision - the injury wasn't that bad.

The Cowboys, who wanted to add Renfro to their defense, selected the University of Oregon graduate with the 17th pick of the 1964 NFL Draft.

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The pick was a great one, as Renfro would end up being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Renfro, who would win the Super Bowl twice, would make the Pro Bowl in 10 straight seasons and be named as a second-team All-Pro four times.

If the Dallas Cowboys hadn't done their due diligence on Renfro's injury, there is a chance that he never would have played in the NFL at all.