A book with upside

In 1935, Eagles owner Bert Bell, tired of getting waxed by the deep-pocketed Redskins, Giants and Bears, proposed the revolutionary idea of letting the teams with the worst records select the best collegiate players. And so, the next year, when a group of men gathered in a Philly hotel room, the NFL draft was born.

Since then, the draft has been held in secret (to keep top players out of the rival AFL), had its name changed (to "preferred negotiations list," in deference to the military draft), developed a language all its own (He's got upside) and evolved into the two-day, high-stakes media extravaganza we all know and love today. And the only way to wrap your brain around it all is with the SPORTING NEWS' Complete Pro Football Draft Encyclopedia, which contains a list of every player ever drafted, every team's year-by-year picks, every college that contributed a selection and a history of the draft. Order yours by calling 800-825-8508 or at sportingnews.com/books.

COPYRIGHT 2005 Sporting News Publishing Co.
COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning