Gridiron Genises: The NFL Draft Unveiled

First Draft at Ritz-Carlton Hotel in 1936

In 1936, at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania-Bert Bell, the commissioner of the NFL-organized and ran the first professional draft in sports history.  The NFL draft revolutionized professional football by establishing a fair and balanced system to recruit new talent, fostering competitive parity among teams. This draft was a turning point in the history of organized sports, by creating and setting the rules of drafting as we know it today.