Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 12, 2026

1937 NFL draft

The 1937 NFL draft was the second draft held by the National Football League (NFL). The draft took place December 12, 1936, at the Hotel Lincoln in New York City. The draft consisted of 10 rounds, with 100 player selections, two of which would later become members of the Professional Football Hall of Fame. Notable for this draft were the league's draft selections for a planned expansion team, the Cleveland Rams, who were admitted into the league prior to the 1937 season. The Philadelphia Eagles used the first overall pick to select back Sam Francis, but ended up trading him to Chicago Bears two months later.

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1937 NFL draft
1937 NFL draft logo
Building of the former Hotel Lincoln (location of the draft), photographed in 2013
General information
DateDecember 12, 1936
LocationHotel Lincoln
in New York City
Overview
100 total selections in 10 rounds
LeagueNFL
First selectionSam Francis, RB
Philadelphia Eagles
Most selections (10)each team selected ten players
Fewest selections (10)each team selected ten players
Hall of Famers
2

The 1937 NFL draft was the second draft held by the National Football League (NFL). The draft took place December 12, 1936, at the Hotel Lincoln in New York City.12 The draft consisted of 10 rounds, with 100 player selections, two of which would later become members of the Professional Football Hall of Fame. Notable for this draft were the league's draft selections for a planned expansion team, the Cleveland Rams, who were admitted into the league prior to the 1937 season. The Philadelphia Eagles used the first overall pick to select back Sam Francis, but ended up trading him to Chicago Bears two months later.3

Player selections

‡ = Hall of Famera
† = Pro Bowlerb
Positions key
B Back BB Blocking back C Center
E End FB Fullback G Guard
OT Offensive tackle TB Tailback WB Wingback
Rnd. Pick Team Player Pos. College Notes
1 1 Philadelphia Eagles Sam Francis  B Nebraska
1 2 Brooklyn Dodgers Ed Goddard † B Washington State
1 3 Chicago Cardinals Ray Buivid  QB Marquette
1 4 New York Giants Ed Widseth † T Minnesota
1 5 Pittsburgh Pirates Mike Basrak  C Duquesne
1 6 Washington Redskins Sammy Baugh‡ QB TCU
1 7 Detroit Lions Lloyd Cardwell † B Nebraska
1 8 Chicago Bears Les McDonald  E Nebraska
1 9 Green Bay Packers Eddie Jankowski † B Wisconsin
1 10 Cleveland Rams Johnny Drake † B Purdue
2 11 Philadelphia Eagles Franny Murray  B Penn
2 12 Chicago Cardinals Gaynell Tinsley † E LSU
2 13 Brooklyn Dodgers Ace Parker‡ B Duke
2 14 New York Giants Art White † G Alabama
2 15 Pittsburgh Pirates Bob Finley  G SMU
2 16 Washington Redskins Nello Falaschi † C Santa Clara
2 17 Detroit Lions Charley Hamrick  T Ohio State
2 18 Chicago Bears Marvin Stewart  B LSU
2 19 Green Bay Packers Ave Daniell  HB Pittsburgh
2 20 Cleveland Rams Jules Alfonse  T Minnesota
3 21 Philadelphia Eagles Drew Ellis  T TCU
3 22 Brooklyn Dodgers Max Starcevich  B Washington
3 23 Chicago Cardinals Arthur Guepe  B Marquette
3 24 New York Giants Jerry Dennerlein  C St. Mary's (CA)
3 25 Pittsburgh Pirates Bill Breeden  E Oklahoma
3 26 Washington Redskins Maurice Elder  B Kansas State
3 27 Detroit Lions Vern Huffman  E Indiana
3 28 Chicago Bears Dick Plasman † B Vanderbilt
3 29 Green Bay Packers Bud Wilkinson  E Minnesota
3 30 Cleveland Rams Larue, BobbyBobby Larue  T Pittsburgh
4 31 Philadelphia Eagles Walter Gilbert  B Auburn
4 32 Chicago Cardinals Bryan, BuckyBucky Bryan  G Tulane
4 33 Brooklyn Dodgers Bill Kurlish  T Penn
4 34 New York Giants Ward Cuff † E Marquette
4 35 Pittsburgh Pirates Hewes, BoBo Hewes  E Oklahoma
4 36 Washington Redskins Dick Bassi † E Santa Clara
4 37 Detroit Lions Bill Glassford  B Pittsburgh
4 38 Chicago Bears Henry Hammond  B Southwestern (TN)
4 39 Green Bay Packers Bud Svendsen † E Minnesota
5 40 Cleveland Rams John Wiatrak  C Washington
5 41 Philadelphia Eagles Alex Drobnitch  B Denver
5 42 Brooklyn Dodgers Bert Johnson  T Kentucky
5 43 Chicago Cardinals Ham Harmon  C Tulsa
5 44 New York Giants Mickey Kobrosky  QB Trinity (CT)
5 45 Pittsburgh Pirates Frye, JackJack Frye  E Missouri
5 46 Washington Redskins Chuck Bond  T Washington
5 47 Detroit Lions Maury Patt  C Carnegie Tech
5 48 Chicago Bears Red Conkright  C Oklahoma
5 49 Green Bay Packers Gibson, DewittDewitt Gibson  G Northwestern
5 50 Cleveland Rams Inwood Smith  T Ohio State
6 51 Philadelphia Eagles Bill Guckeyson  B Maryland
6 52 Chicago Cardinals Dickens, PhilPhil Dickens  T Tennessee
6 53 Brooklyn Dodgers John Golemgeske  T Wisconsin
6 54 New York Giants Farley, JimJim Farley  B VMI
6 55 Pittsburgh Pirates Roach, WaltWalt Roach  B TCU
6 56 Washington Redskins Jimmie Cain  E Washington
6 57 Detroit Lions Bell, GeorgeGeorge Bell  T Purdue
6 58 Chicago Bears Del Bjork † B Oregon
6 59 Green Bay Packers Merle Wendt  T Ohio State
6 60 Cleveland Rams Del Sasso, ChrisChris Del Sasso  T Indiana
7 61 Philadelphia Eagles Herb Barna  G West Virginia
7 62 Brooklyn Dodgers Funk, FredFred Funk  B UCLA
7 63 Chicago Cardinals Dickerson, HermHerm Dickerson  E VPI
7 64 New York Giants Buster Poole † E Ole Miss
7 65 Pittsburgh Pirates Byron Haines  B Washington
7 66 Washington Redskins Holland, RollaRolla Holland  G Kansas State
7 67 Detroit Lions Sprague, JohnJohn Sprague  B SMU
7 68 Chicago Bears Friedman, BuckBuck Friedman  T Rice
7 69 Green Bay Packers Baldwin, MarvMarv Baldwin  T TCU
7 70 Cleveland Rams Schoen, NormNorm Schoen  T Baldwin–Wallace
8 71 Philadelphia Eagles Hennon, NestorNestor Hennon  B Carnegie Tech
8 72 Chicago Cardinals Reynolds, JohnJohn Reynolds  C Baylor
8 73 Brooklyn Dodgers Steve Reid  T Northwestern
8 74 New York Giants Meyers, GeneGene Meyers  B Kentucky
8 75 Pittsburgh Pirates Kordick, MartyMarty Kordick  E St. Mary's (CA)
8 76 Washington Redskins Joel Eaves  E Auburn
8 77 Detroit Lions Sayre, ElvinElvin Sayre  B Illinois
8 78 Chicago Bears Toth, SteveSteve Toth  C Northwestern
8 79 Green Bay Packers Chapman, LesLes Chapman  B Tulsa
8 80 Cleveland Rams Schmarr, HermHerm Schmarr  T Catholic University
9 81 Philadelphia Eagles Fanning, PaulPaul Fanning  B Kansas State
9 82 Brooklyn Dodgers Nowogrowski, EdEd Nowogrowski  B Washington
9 83 Chicago Cardinals Dwight Hafeli  B Washington University
9 84 New York Giants Scheyer, DwightDwight Scheyer  E Washington State
9 85 Pittsburgh Pirates Matt Patanelli  T Michigan
9 86 Washington Redskins Bill Docherty  G Temple
9 87 Detroit Lions Larry Kelley  E Yale
1936 Heisman Trophy winner4
9 88 Chicago Bears Guepe, AlAl Guepe  E Marquette
9 89 Green Bay Packers Dahlgren, GordonGordon Dahlgren  G Michigan State
9 90 Cleveland Rams Ray Johnson  T Denver
10 91 Philadelphia Eagles Antil, RayRay Antil  B Minnesota
10 92 Chicago Cardinals Fitzsimmons, MiddletonMiddleton Fitzsimmons  G Georgia Tech
10 93 Brooklyn Dodgers Gil Kuhn  B USC
10 94 New York Giants Chuck Gelatka † E Mississippi State
10 95 Pittsburgh Pirates Nevers, StanStan Nevers  T Kentucky
10 96 Washington Redskins Mac Cara  G NC State
10 97 Detroit Lions Kay Bell  G Washington State
10 98 Chicago Bears Wade, RedRed Wade  E Utah State
10 99 Green Bay Packers Gavin, DaveDave Gavin  G Holy Cross
10 100 Cleveland Rams Holt, SolonSolon Holt  T TCU

Hall of Famers

  • Sammy Baugh, quarterback from Texas Christian University taken 1st Round 6th Overall by the Boston Redskins.
Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 1963.5
Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 1972.6

Notable undrafted players

† = Pro Bowlerb
Original NFL team Player Pos. College Notes
Chicago Bears George Wilson † E Northwestern
Cleveland Rams Chuck Cherundolo † C/LB Penn State
New York Giants Hank Soar † HB/LB Providence
New York Giants Bill Walls  E TCU
Philadelphia Eagles Rabbit Keen  HB/QB Arkansas
Notes

Notes

  1. Players are identified as a Hall of Famer if they have been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
  2. Players are identified as a Pro Bowler if they were selected for the Pro Bowl at any time in their career.
References

References

  1. "NFL Draft Locations". www.footballgeography.com. October 2, 2014. Archived from the original on September 5, 2015. Retrieved October 23, 2014.
  2. Salomone, Dan (October 2, 2014). "NFL Draft headed to Chicago in 2015". Giants.com. New York Giants. Archived from the original on September 30, 2015. Retrieved June 3, 2015.
  3. Lyons, Robert S. (2010). On Any Given Sunday, A Life of Bert Bell. Philadelphia: Temple University Press. p. 70. ISBN 978-1-59213-731-2.
  4. "Heisman Trophy". Archived from the original on August 7, 2008. Retrieved August 4, 2008.
  5. "Pro Football Hall of Fame". Archived from the original on July 31, 2008. Retrieved October 5, 2008.
  6. "Pro Football Hall of Fame". Archived from the original on July 31, 2008. Retrieved October 5, 2008.
External links