As the NFL moves closer to the 2023 Draft (April 27-29), the Big Red Zone will look back at each of the St. Louis Cardinals’ 28 drafts, starting in 1960. Each installment in the series will include a list of that year’s selections, a rating of each pick based on that player’s contributions to the Cardinals, and notes about some of the players. Feel free to debate. One thing we probably all can agree on: The Big Red had a lot of bad drafts even before George Boone arrived on the scene. 

1960 St. Louis Cardinals Draft

Rd-overall	Player	Position	College
1-2	George Izo	QB	Notre Dame
2-13	Harold Olson	T	Clemson
2-14	Mike McGee	G	Duke
3-26	Hugh McInnis	TE	Southern Miss
3-29	Charley Ellzey	C	Southern Miss
4-37	Willie West	DB	Oregon
4-38	Silas Woods	E	Marquette
5-50	Bill Burrell	B	Illinois
5-54	George Phelps	T	Cornell Col.
5-60	Ed Mazurka	T
6-61	Jacky Lee	QB	Cincinnati
7-74	Larry Wilson	DB	Utah
8-85	Wayne Crow	HB	California
9-98	Dewitt Hoopes	T	Northwestern
10-109	Charley Johnson	QB	New Mexico State
10-113	Paul Oglesby	T	UCLA
11-122	Bobby Towns	DB	Georgia
12-133	Tom Chapman	E	Detroit Mercy
13-146	Vic Jones	HB	Indiana
14-156	Bob DeMarco	C	Dayton
15-170	Frank Mestnik	FB	Marquette
16-181	Jim Lee Hunt	DT	Prairie View A&M
17-194	Joe Davis	T	The Citadel
18-205	Bob Haas	HB	Missouri
19-218	Herman Alexander	T	Findlay
20-229	Tom Day	DE	North Carolina A&T

*The 1960 draft was held on Nov. 30, 1959, so the Cardinals were still in Chicago (they didn’t relocate to St. Louis until March 1960). There were 20 rounds. The Cardinals selected 26 players.

*Izo played only one season, 1960, for the Cardinals and started only one game. Izo’s 1960 stats: 24 pass attempts, 10 completions, 115 yards, 0 touchdowns, 0 interceptions. He played six more seasons in the NFL—four for Washington, one for Detroit and one for Pittsburgh—mostly as a backup. George Izo Sr., his father, played quarterback at Notre Dame under legendary coach Knute Rockne.

*Lee played 11 seasons—six for Houston, three for Kansas City and two for Denver—mostly as a backup.

*Wilson played 13 seasons for the Cardinals (169 games/163 starts). Had 52 career interceptions and scored five touchdowns. Selected to eight Pro Bowls and was a first-team All-Pro selection five times. Inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1978.

*Johnson played nine seasons for the Cardinals (Army obligations and injuries interrupted his career). Big Red stats: 87 games, 69 starts, 2,047 pass attempts, 1,030 completions, 14,928 yards, 108 touchdowns, 110 interceptions. Selected to one Pro Bowl. Also played for Houston (two years) and Denver (four years).

*DeMarco played nine seasons (107 games and 102 starts) for the Cardinals. Picked to three Pro Bowls and was a first-team All-Pro selection once. Also played for Miami (two years), Cleveland (three years) and the L.A. Rams (one year).

*Hunt played for the AFL’s Boston Patriots and was one of only 20 players to play in all 10 seasons of the AFL.