Top 10 West Virginia Mountaineers in the First Round of the NFL Draft
By Ken Durbin
4. Joe Marconi- 6th to Los Angeles Rams, 1956
CREDIT: wvusports.com
In the “Golden Era” of Mountaineers football, Joe Marconi was the featured fullback in the Mountaineers offense. He was a bruising back that brought a tough inside running compliment to the outside speed of halfback Bobby Moss and quarterback Fred Wyant.
The Rams liked what they saw of Marconi at WVU and selected him to be their fullback of the future with the 6th overall selection in the 1956 draft. Marconi paid immediate dividends for the Rams, compiling impressive running totals over his 7 seasons in Los Angeles with over 1,700 yards rushing (a large total for a fullback of any era) and 21 touchdowns.
The Rams traded Marconi to the Bears for the 1962 season where he would play another five seasons, earning a Pro-Bowl selection in 1964.
Marconi worked out quite well for the Rams, opening the door for his fellow Mountaineers to be drafted highly in the following years.