Gerhard Schwedes
1960 Fleer trading card | |||||||||||
| No. 30, 34, 44 | |||||||||||
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| Position | Halfback | ||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||
| Born | April 23, 1938 Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany | ||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||||||
| Listed weight | 205 lb (93 kg) | ||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||
| High school | Hunterdon Central Regional (Flemington, New Jersey, U.S.) | ||||||||||
| College | Syracuse (1956–1959) | ||||||||||
| NFL draft | 1960: 4th round, 47th overall pick | ||||||||||
| AFL draft | 1960: 1st round | ||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||
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| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||
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| Career AFL statistics | |||||||||||
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Gerhard H. Schwedes (born April 23, 1938) is a German-American former professional football player who played two seasons in the American Football League (AFL) as a halfback with the Boston Patriots and New York Titans. He was born in Nazi Germany and grew up there during World War II. He moved to the United States when he was 12. He played college football at Syracuse University, which he helped to a victory in the 1960 Cotton Bowl Classic. In late November 1959, Schwedes was selected by the Patriots with the first pick in the territorial portion of the AFL's inaugural 1960 draft, becoming the first draft pick in AFL history and the first draft pick in Patriots franchise history.