Boston acquired veteran lineman Bob Schmidt from the Houston…
Boston acquired veteran lineman Bob Schmidt from the Houston Oilers for the 1965 AFL second-round choice that became No. 15 Ralph Neely. Schmidt played all 14 games for the Patriots in 1964 and started four. Neely became an outstanding Dallas tackle, but never played a regular-season game for Houston. The Patriots therefore received the direct on-field return from this exchange and earn a narrow historical win.
New England Patriots Received
- player Bob Schmidt
Tennessee Titans Received
- pick 1965 second round pick (#15-Ralph Neely)
Trade Analysis
What Changed Hands
On August 25, 1964, Houston sent veteran center-tackle Bob Schmidt to Boston for the Patriots' 1965 AFL second-round draft choice. The pick became No. 15 Ralph Neely. Boston's own 1965 media guide notes that its second-round choice had been traded to Houston for Schmidt, while the AFL draft-transaction trail identifies Neely as the player selected with the acquired pick.
What New England Patriots Got
Schmidt gave Boston an immediate veteran body for the 1964 season. Pro Football Archives credits him with 14 appearances and four starts for the Patriots that year. His stay in Boston was brief, but he supplied a full season of roster availability before later joining Buffalo. For a single second-round AFL choice, that was modest but tangible value on the field.
What Tennessee Titans Got
Houston used the pick on Neely, who developed into an elite professional tackle. The complication is that his celebrated career came with Dallas, not the Oilers. Neely had been drafted by both Houston in the AFL and Baltimore in the NFL, and the rights dispute eventually reached federal court. Whatever value Houston held in the contractual fight, the Oilers did not receive Neely's regular-season playing career; his 172 NFL games were with Dallas.
Final Verdict
New England Patriots Win is the cleaner football result for this transaction. Boston received 14 games and four starts from Schmidt, while Houston's acquired draft right never became Oilers regular-season production. New England earns a C+ because Schmidt was only a one-season contributor. Houston gets a C-: selecting Neely showed real asset value, but the club did not convert that right into on-field service. The gap is real, though far from a franchise-changing theft.