HBCU Football Draft Picks: Arkansas
Statewide Picks
Between 1961 and 2013, there were 27 professional football draft picks that came out of Arkansas’ HBCUs.
Philander Smith College
The first pick hailed out of Philander Smith College, which now goes by the name of Philander Smith University. It was founded in 1877 as the first higher education institution for freedmen west of the Mississippi River. Philander Smith is currently located in Little Rock.
Elijah Pitts came out of Philander Smith College and was picked by the Green Bay Packers in the 1961 NFL Draft.
University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff
The 1960s
The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff produced its first professional football draft picks in 1964.
Robert Brown was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the NFL Draft and Bob Brown was selected by the Denver Broncos in the AFL Draft.
Ten more UAPB football players were drafted before the decade closed. All of them were in NFL Drafts.
The 1970s
Six UAPB football players were drafted in the 1970s. All of them were in NFL Drafts.
The 1980s
UAPB produced two NFL Draft picks in the 1980s.
Ron McCall was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1980 and Mike McInnis was selected by the Atlanta Falcons in 1984.
The 1990s
Three UAPB players were drafted in the 1990s.
Ivory Lee Brown and Rapier Porter were both taken in 1991 by the Phoenix Cardinals and Green Bay Packers, respectively.
Christ Atkins was taken by the Green Bay Packers in the 1999 NFL Draft.
The 2000s and 2010s
Between 2000 and 2013, five football players from UAPB were selected in NFL Drafts.
Ernest Grant and Greg Wesley were both picked in 2000, by the Miami Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs, respectively.
Dante Wesley was picked by the Carolina Panthers in 2002 and in the following year Courtney Van Buren was picked by the San Diego Chargers.
The most recent draft pick from UAPB was Terron Armstead, who was taken in the 2013 NFL Draft by the New Orleans Saints.
