I’ve added more interviews…

Thank you for posting these, Ernie Ladd says Al Davis elicited the help of LA Sentinel sports editor Brad Pye to recruit him away from the Bears. What a brilliant move as Pye was much respected in the African American community and held in high esteem throughout the greater So California area for his news reporting and daily radio commentary, where he coined the term ” Switch reels” and over heard at Tommy Tuckers Playroom, where he would release insider info on the local sport scene.
Ladd also makes mention of Jerry Robinson a player I don’t recall, but saw where he along with another former Grambling receiver Clifton McNeil were both picked in the 11 round of the 1962 Draft, Robinson with Bears and McNeil with the Browns. Later McNeil would lead the NFL in receiving with the Forty Niners and be named All Pro.
In 1962 the Bears drafted WR Jim Bates in the 3rd round out of USC, Bates was truly and athletic phenom, 6’3″ 200 and ran 9.4 100 in high school at LA Manual Arts HS at the time tying the national scholastic record in the event. Jims’ younger brother Ted played with Paul Lowe at Oregon State and then with the St Louis Cardinals.
Ladd marvels over Jerry Robinson who was 5’10” 190, I wonder what he would have thought if he’d seen Jim Bates? And I wonder if Pyes involvement didn’t come back to bite Jim Bates, as he never played a down with the Bears or professionally with anyone else. Was he injured, caught up in the numbers, deemed uncoachable or black balled.

I couldn’t find where Gary Garrison was drafted by the Chargers or any AFL team, he was the Bears 6th round pick in 1965.
In 1965 the Chargers drafted, like Garrison, two receivers that hailed from the greater Long Beach, Ca area Roy Jefferson and Jack Snow, both opted to sign with NFL teams, the Steelers and Rams respectively. Makes you wonder if they had signed, would the Chargers have had the same interest in Gary and if not, one can only imagine how all three mens careers and lives may have been much different.