The Raiders were trumped by the team across the bay today when the 49ers signed San Francisco State halfback Charley Fuller to a contract. Fuller had been the Raiders pick in the 19th round of the most recent draft but chose to stay in San Francisco with the team that chose him in the 16th round of the NFL draft. No reason for his choice was given.
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The Raiders signed two draft choices today, their first two of the offseason. Putting pen to paper were ends Paul Yanke of Northwestern and Clair Appledoorn of San Jose State, the team’s 25th and 27th round choices, respectively.
The team hoped to sign others soon, including their 19th round pick, San Francisco State halfback Charley Fuller. A report appeared saying Fuller had signed with the 49ers, but he denied having done so.
They also held out hope they could ink Northwestern halfback Ray Purdin. Picked in the 7th round by both the Raiders and 49ers, Purdin said he didn’t “feel strong enough to play in the NFL this year. I’ve been bothered by injuries all year and I don’t want to take any chances, but I would like to try with the 49ers next year if I get a little stronger.” He thought he might hook up with another team this year to keep his football skills fresh.
One player they weren’t going to get was halfback Pervis Atkins. A big, fast star out of New Mexico State, the Raiders acquired his signing rights from the Minneapolis franchise that selected him as a redshirt last year, but the Rams had selected him, too, and Atkins decided to go with the NFL.
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Raider general manager Chet Soda reaffirmed his protest with the league regarding the Chargers’ use of Al Bansavage in yesterday’s game. Asserting that Bansavage was an ineligible player, Soda wanted Joe Foss to declare the game a forfeit, which would put the Raiders back in the playoff hunt. The AFL commissioner said he probably wouldn’t be able to give it any attention until after the draft.
Soda added that “Foss told me Saturday that he called Gillman and informed him about his decision in the Bansavage case. Then yesterday after the game I talked with Gillman and he said he’d talked with Foss. Gillman said he tried to reach me about the matter before the game, but that’s all he said.”
Speaking of the draft, the league conducted the final 24 rounds by phone. The Raiders’ picks follow:
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