April 27, 1961 - NFL officially recognizes the Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. Our Newspapers.com Football History Headline of the day comes from Dover, Ohio’s Daily Reporter who posted the eye catcher of “ Canton Selected Site for Pro Football’s Hall of Fame by NFL.” the day after on April 28. The Canton area celebrated their place in NFL history as the birthplace of the League on September 17, 1920 in an automobile showroom when the NFL granted the Ohio city the right to host the Pro Football Hall of Fame. A group from Canton placed their bid with the League months earlier and had set aside a 14 acre tract of land should they receive the approval. The then already existing highschool venue Fawcett Stadium would be a part of the HOF campus for many decades to come. To learn more on the history of the Pro Football Hall of Fame check out our interview with George Bozeka a football historian who grew up within walking distance of the HOF. https://pigskindispatch.com/home/Inspiration-Sensations/PFRA Also here is a link where you can get up close and personal with the museum at the Pro Football Researchers Association Convention taking place at the Hall of Fame in June 2021!
April 27, 1982 - The League’s annual disbursement of college players kicked off in New York for the 1982 NFL Draft. University of Texas defensive end Kenneth Sims was the first pick by the New England Patriots. There were some good players in this draft class as according to the Pro Football Reference website four standouts so far have been enshrined in Canton. The Houston Oilers selected Mike Munchak the former Penn State guard as the eighth player taken and two spots later the Raiders placed the name of USC running back Marcus Allen on their card given to the Commissioner to read. The Patriots chose at number 41 of linebacker Andre Tippett Iowa as well as fellow future bronze bust poser Michigan State product, kicker Morten Anderson going to the New Orleans Saints with the 86th overall pick in the fourth round.
April 27, 2017 - At the opening rounds of the 2017 NFL Draft, Texas A&M defensive end Myles Garrett was the first pick by the Cleveland Browns. Chicago surprised many when they took North Carolina quarterback Mitchell Trubiski as the second player taken per Pro Football Reference. The 49ers grabbed Solomon Thomas the defensive end from nearby Stanford followed by the selection of LSU running back Leonard Fournette by the Jaguars. The sixth selection was that of the Tennessee Titans who locked up the rights to wideout Corey Davis then came the pick of Safety Jamal Adams of LSU by the Jets and Clemson wide receiver Mike Williams going to the Chargers. Carolina held the eighth pick in the Draft and they took Christian McCaffrey the running back from Stanford, while the Bengals swooped right behind them and signed John Ross the receiver from the University of Washington. Then things got interesting... as the Chiefs traded up to acquire Patrick Mahomes 10th overall in the 2017 NFL Draft. The Chiefs traded the 27th overall pick, a third-round pick and a 2018 first-round pick to the Bills in exchange for the 10th pick in the draft. The Bills used the 27th pick they acquired to take Tre'davious White a corner from LSU and in the 2018 pick they got to get the rights of inside linebacker Tremaine Edmunds from the University of Virginia.
