February 8 Football Fix

February 8 marks the anniversary of the first NFL Draft, held in 1936. It was the brainchild of future Commissioner Bert Bell, who at the time owned the Philadelphia Eagles. Bell subsequently held the first overall pick in the 1936 Draft and selected Jay Berwanger, the talented back from the University of Chicago.

The Original NFL Draft

In the winter of 1935, the NFL was facing a crisis of competitive balance. The wealthy teams, like the Chicago Bears and New York Giants, were hoarding talent by simply outbidding smaller-market teams for the best college stars. Bert Bell, the owner of the struggling Philadelphia Eagles, had seen enough.

At a league meeting at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Philadelphia, Bell proposed a radical, “socialist” idea for the gridiron: a structured system where the team with the worst record got the first crack at the incoming college talent. He argued that for the league to survive, the “doormats” had to have a fighting chance to get better. Surprisingly, the other owners agreed.

On February 8, 1936, the first-ever NFL Draft took place at the Ritz-Carlton. There were no cameras, no green rooms, and no “war rooms”—just a blackboard with names of eligible college seniors and nine owners in a smoke-filled room.

The Historic First Pick

With the first overall selection, Bert Bell and the Philadelphia Eagles chose Jay Berwanger, a powerhouse halfback from the University of Chicago and the first-ever winner of the Heisman Trophy (then called the Downtown Athletic Club Trophy).

The story, however, takes a legendary twist of irony:

• The Holdout: Berwanger wasn’t sure he wanted to play professional football. He was looking for $1,000 a game, a staggering sum at the time.
• The Trade: Realizing they couldn’t afford him, the Eagles traded his rights to the Chicago Bears for tackle Art Buss.
• The Retirement: Even the legendary George Halas of the Bears couldn’t meet Berwanger’s demands. Instead of putting on an NFL helmet, the first-ever draft pick took a job as a foam rubber salesman and later coached part-time, never playing a single down in the NFL.

Though the first pick was a “bust” in terms of participation, the system worked. Within a few years, the draft transformed the NFL from a loose collection of teams into a balanced, powerhouse league where any team, on any given Sunday, could truly compete.

Quick Accolades: Jay Berwanger

• First Heisman Trophy Winner (1935)
• First Overall NFL Draft Pick (1936)
• Unanimous All-American (1935)
• Chicago Tribune Silver Football Winner (Big Ten MVP)