CHICAGO — The NFL draft is back in the City of Big Shoulder Pads for a seventh time, expecting a much warmer reception than it got nearly 80 years ago from the very first pick in its very first draft.
The man who stiff-armed the NFL back then at the draft in Philadelphia was University of Chicago running back and Heisman Trophy winner Jay Berwanger.
He said "no thanks" when then-Philadelphia Eagles owner Bert Bell — widely considered the "father" of the draft — selected him with the No. 1 overall pick. Then he repeated it to legendary Chicago Bears owner George Halas, who had acquired Berwanger's rights in a trade.