11 former players (Red Grange, Don Hutson, Dutch Clark, Bronko Nagurski, Mel Hein, Pete Henry, Cal Hubbard, Sammy Baugh, Johnny McNally, Ernie Nevers, and Jim Thorpe), 1 founder/owner/coach (George Halas), and 5 owners/executives (Curly Lambeau, Bert Bell, Joe Carr, Tim Mara, and...John Wooten) are currently enshrined in the Football Hall of Fame in New York City.
The first player to be enshrined in the hall was Red Grange, who played only five seasons (1922-1926) in the NFL but still managed to score 92 touchdowns. The following year the hall of fame began accepting coaches and executives so that they could be included in the display case with the players.
As for individuals who were both players and coaches, there are two main categories: revolutionary players and elite coaches. A revolutionary player is someone who changed the way the game is played; an elite coach is someone who can consistently get the most out of his players. There have been many great players and coaches over time but only a few have had an impact large enough to be considered revolutionary or elite.
In addition to being great athletes and football minds, some of the first people to be voted into the hall of fame also happened to be business leaders who had a major influence on their respective sports.
Bob Brown, a 2004 inductee, wore #76 for the Eagles, Rams, and Raiders.
| 00 | OTTO |
|---|---|
| 1 | CONZELMAN , DRISCOLL , FLAHERTY , FRIEDMAN , LAMBEAU , MOON , POLLARD , Thorpe |
| 2 | Driscoll , Kiesling , Lyman , TRIPPI |
| 3 | CANADEO , NAGURSKI , STENERUD , Thorpe |
| 4 | FAVRE , LEEMANS , Nevers |
This year, this California high school boasts seven current NFL players. According to Pro-Football-Reference, this history dates back to the inception of the NFL. Jim Lawson, who played for the long-gone NFL version of the New York Yankees in 1927, was their first pro player. He had been drafted by the Yankees out of Compton Centennial High School.
Lawson's career was actually interrupted by service in the U.S. Army during World War II. When he returned from war, he went on to play eight more seasons in the NFL. After his retirement in 1945, he worked in sales before eventually becoming a coach and athletic director at several schools across the country. He died in 1998 at the age of 80.
The modern era of high school football began in 1933 when the National Football League (NFL) expanded into Canada. The Montreal Rambler Indians were the first American team to play in Canada when they took on an all-star team at McGill University's Olympic Stadium. The game was won by the Americans, 12-7, with Lawson scoring two touchdowns.
In 1937, another Canadian team joined the fray when the Cleveland Rams played a series of games against American colleges. These games are now considered the first official seasons of high school football.
The league reconvened on September 17, changing its name to the American Professional Football Association (APFA) and officially choosing Jim Thorpe as the organization's first president. The APFA began play on September 26th, with the Rock Island Independents of Illinois beating the St. Paul Ideals, a club from outside the league, 48-0. The season ended in December with the Independents losing their last game to the Chicago Bears 7-3.
Thorpe had been recommended by his fellow Sioux players who wanted an individual rather than a team title. They also felt that since he was already an elected official in his home state he would be able to bring legitimacy to the new league. At age 19, he was the youngest person ever appointed as a presidential commissioner. He served one year before moving on to other projects including co-founding the NCAA.
The NFL didn't have a copyright until 1914, so many athletes from other leagues competed against each other without knowing it was illegal. In fact, several sources claim that if it weren't for this loophole, no one would have played professional football until after World War I.
The first player draft took place in 1969. The previous year, there had been a series of meetings between the owners who decided that they needed to give teams a chance to select players who could help them win games. As a result, the draft came into existence.
In 1913, the school fielded its first football squad. The team's home games are held at the 10,000-seat Abbott Memorial Alumni Stadium. Willie Slater is their coach. He will not be confused with another Tuskegee University coach named Willie McCovey.
Tuskegee University officially became known as Tuskegee Institute in 1941 after being called Industrial Training School since its founding in 1881. The school provides educational services to students across Alabama, Arkansas, and Oklahoma. In addition, it offers several programs for adults including certificate courses, degrees, and workshops.
Tuskegee University's football program has had a profound impact on the game. The team's history includes 11 undefeated regular seasons, two black college football national championships (1931 and 1932), and one regional championship (1950). The 1931 team, coached by Bill Campbell, defeated Carnegie Tech University 14-7 in New York City to win the title. The 1932 team, which was led by Charlie Bachman, defeated Stetson University 26-6 in Tampa, Florida to claim its second national championship.
After retiring from coaching, Bill Campbell stayed at Tuskegee University as an instructor of physical education. He later served as the athletic director from 1936 to 1940 before moving on to lead the football team at North Carolina A&T State University.
Naismith formed The First Team, a group of players that participated in the first-ever basketball game in 1891, and he was also honored as a member of the first Class of 1959. Robert L. Douglas was the creator and owner of the New York Renaissance, which was admitted in 1963. [Newell, Pete] John Wooden was one of the most successful collegiate coaches in history, amassing a record of 1020-149 during his tenure at Purdue University. He is the all-time leader in wins among U.S. college coaches and is the second best of all time behind Adolph Rupp of Kentucky. In 1995, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) established the John Wooden Award to honor its top male student-athlete.
Wooden attended the first Induction Ceremony in 1975 and was given an honorary degree by Indiana University. He has been selected for inclusion in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame each year since 1959. The number 1 draft pick has never been awarded because there is only one annual draft and no real concept of a number 1 draft choice. In any case, the title is rarely mentioned anymore except as a symbolic gesture. The last player to be called the number 1 draft choice was Michael Jordan who was picked by Chicago in 1989. Since then, the highest drafted player is Kevin Durant who went first overall to the Seattle Supersonics in 2007.
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