As the names continue to be called today at the NFL Draft, Tucker Frederickson will be teeing up at Pebble Beach, trying to line up another shot as the ocean breeze hits his face.
Forty years ago, the Giants made Frederickson the No. 1 draft choice, picking the running back from Auburn over future Hall of Famers Joe Namath, Gale Sayers, Dick Butkus and Fred Biletnikoff.
“Don’t remind the Giants,” Frederickson said while laughing during a phone interview last week.
Today, the 62-year-old spends lots of time on the golf course, and not just for leisure. He is in the golf-course-development business, handling the real-estate side of things while partners such as Jack Nicklaus lay out the course. Frederickson is a partner in several golf courses in his home state of Florida, including the Bear’s Club with Nicklaus. He is currently working on Sebonack, a high-end club set to open next year in Southampton.
People still recognize his name when he meets them even though it’s been 34 years since he last suited up for the Giants. A two-way star as a fullback and linebacker at Auburn, the Giants picked him to begin their rebuilding project after being scared off by Namath’s price tag and believing Sayers didn’t fit their system.
“We were a team in rebuilding mode,” said Allie Sherman, the coach of the Giants at the time. “We looked at quarterback first but we couldn’t get a move on that. So, we said we better get ourselves one of the best ballplayers available, especially on offense. We thought Tucker would be the best bet. He was one of the best backs in the country.”
The Giants contacted Frederickson the day after his college finale, a loss to Namath’s Alabama team. This was before the NFL Draft became a TV show and when Frederickson got the call from the Giants, he committed to the team. When the AFL’s Denver Broncos told him they were also going to draft him, he gave them a straight answer.
“I said, ‘Don’t waste your draft,'” Frederickson said. “I committed to the Giants and I was going to New York. Today, you would have an agent and play both teams against each other. The game of football was just getting to be big-time then.”
The Mara family gave Frederickson a $30,000 signing bonus and a three-year contract worth $27,500 per year. That same year, Jets owner Sonny Werblin gave Namath a $427,000 contract.
“I learned my economics lesson quick,” Frederickson said.
In his rookie season, Frederickson rushed for 659 yards and five touchdowns, enough to make the Pro Bowl. But that would be the highlight of his career. A knee injury in his second preseason would keep him out for the entire 1966 season and an injury to the other knee in 1967 derailed his career.
“I didn’t have a great athletic experience in New York, but I had a great overall experience in New York,” Frederickson said. “I wish the athletic career could have been a little bit better but that’s the name of the game. One little injury and that’s it.”
Frederickson had gotten into the securities business during the offseason in his last few years with the Giants. He began to make more on Wall Street than on the field and after the 1971 season decided to leave football behind.
He spent the next 12 years on Wall Street before returning to his native Florida in 1983, where he met Nicklaus and began to design courses.
Frederickson lives in North Palm Beach County with his second wife, Sherry. The two have a 10-year-old daughter, Della. Frederickson’s first wife, Dale, died in 1986. They had three children: Ashley, 25; Amanda, 23; and Jon Erik, 20. Jon Erik is a sophomore wide receiver at New Hampshire.
Frederickson still follows the Giants and has paid particular attention to Eli Manning, who like him went No. 1 in the draft from an SEC school.
“I can certainly relate,” Frederickson said. “But it’s magnified now. There was a lot of pressure back then but it’s nothing compared to what the media is today, the kind of money there is today. He’s got to put his time in and gain confidence. He’ll be a great quarterback.”
Yesterday, two Auburn running backs went in the first round of the draft. Ronnie Brown and Carnell “Cadillac” Williams will cause many Giants fans to think back to their own Auburn back.
“Forty years is a little spooky,” Frederickson said. “My body tells me it’s been 40 years but golly, it seems like yesterday.”
FIRST BUT NOT FOREMOST
A look at the 14 players selected in the first round of the 1965 NFL Draft.
Seasons 6
Rushing 2,209 yards, 9 TDs
Receiving 128 for 1,011 yards, 8 TDs
Pro Bowls 1
First but not foremost
A look at the 14 players selected in the first round of the 1965 NFL Draft.
PICK TEAM PLAYER POS. COLLEGE
1. Giants Tucker Frederickson RB Auburn
2. 49ers Ken Willard FB North Carolina
3. Bears Dick Butkus LB Illinois
4. Bears Gale Sayers HB Kansas
5. Cowboys Craig Morton QB Cal
6. Bears Steve DeLong T Tennessee
7. Packers Donny Anderson HB Texas Tech
8. Vikings Jack Snow E Notre Dame
9. Rams Clancy Williams HB Wash. St.
10. Packers Lawrence Elkins E Baylor
11. Lions Tom Nowatzke FB Indiana
12. Cardinals Joe Namath QB Alabama
13. 49ers George Donnelly HB Illinois
14. Colts Mike Curtis LB Duke