Jay Berwanger won the inaugural Heisman Trophy in 1935 for the University of Chicago and became the No. 1 player taken in the first NFL draft a few months later.
He chose to work at a rubber company and be a part-time coach for his alma mater rather than try to make a living playing football.
More than five decades later, Oklahoma State Heisman Trophy winner Barry Sanders threatened to sue the NFL if it did not allow him to be drafted while he still had college eligibility.
In the early days of the NFL, college football was king and playing professionally was not something most players aspired to do.