The 1936 National Football League Draft was the 1st draft of

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL). It took place on February 8, 1936, at the

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Hotel in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

. The draft was instituted in an effort to end bidding wars among the league's teams by the arbitrary assignment of negotiating rights to amateur players. It was haphazardly decided that the last place team from the previous season would get the first selection, and the process would continue in reverse order of the standings. Under this structure the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays ...

, who finished at 2–9, would select first. This was the only draft to have nine rounds; the number increased to ten for the 1937 draft. The first player ever drafted,

Jay Berwanger John Jacob "Jay" Berwanger (March 19, 1914 – June 26, 2002) was an American college football player and referee. In 1935, Berwanger was the first recipient of the Downtown Athletic Club Trophy, renamed the Heisman Trophy the following year. At ...

, who had previously been awarded the initial

Heisman Trophy The Heisman Memorial Trophy (usually known colloquially as the Heisman Trophy or The Heisman) is awarded annually to the most outstanding player in college football. Winners epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and hard ...

, never played in the NFL. His rights were traded by the

to the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...

, as the Eagles felt they would be unable to meet Berwanger's reported demand of $1000 per game. The Eagles received tackle

Art Buss Arthur T. Buss (July 14, 1911 – March 23, 1998) was a professional American football tackle in the National Football League (NFL). He played four seasons for the Chicago Bears and the Philadelphia Eagles. In 1936, Buss was traded by the Bear ...

from the Bears in exchange for Berwanger's rights.

George Halas George Stanley Halas Sr. (; February 2, 1895October 31, 1983), nicknamed "Papa Bear" and "Mr. Everything", was an American professional football player, coach, and team owner. He was the founder and owner of the National Football League's Chic ...

was unable to convince Berwanger to sign with the Bears. After this, Berwanger got a job in rubber sales.

Riley Smith Riley Smith (born April 12, 1978) is an American actor. He is known for his roles on television, such as recurring roles in the series '' 24'', ''Joan of Arcadia'', '' 90210'', ''True Blood'' and '' The Messengers'', and starring roles on the ...

, the second pick, was the first player drafted to play in the NFL.

Breakdown of players selected

The following is the breakdown of the 81 players selected:

Player selections

Hall of Famers

* Dan Fortmann, guard from Colgate taken 9th round 78th overall by the Chicago Bears. :Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 1965. * Joe Stydahar, tackle from West Virginia taken 1st round 6th overall by the Chicago Bears. :Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 1967. * Wayne Millner, end from Notre Dame taken 8th round 65th overall by the Boston Redskins. :Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 1968. * Alphonse "Tuffy" Leemans, back from George Washington University taken 2nd Round 18th overall by the New York Giants. :Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 1978.

Notable undrafted players

Schools with multiple draft selections

References

External links

NFL Website – 1936 Draft

Pro Football Hall of Fame
* {{DEFAULTSORT:1936 Nfl Draft National Football League Draft

NFL Draft The National Football League Draft, also called the NFL Draft or (officially) the Player Selection Meeting, is an annual event which serves as the league's most common source of player recruitment. Each team is given a position in the drafting o ...

Draft Draft, The Draft, or Draught may refer to: Watercraft dimensions * Draft (hull), the distance from waterline to keel of a vessel * Draft (sail), degree of curvature in a sail * Air draft, distance from waterline to the highest point on a vesse ...

1930s in Philadelphia American football in Pennsylvania Sports in Philadelphia February 1936 sports events