Today, the NFL draft is one of the biggest sports stories on the calendar, with ESPN and other outlets covering everything in overhyped detail.

The first-ever NFL draft in 1936 was a different story. Few sports fans even knew it was happening, and the top overall pick never played in the league. Neither did most of the other picks.

Of the total of 81 players selected in that first draft, only 31 actually played in the NFL. Most went on to regular day jobs, which offered better pay and more stability.

Big Ten schools were in demand in the draft, as 21 of the picks – over a quarter of them – were from schools that were league members at some point.

Six players from the University of Minnesota were selected in the draft, second only to Stanford, with seven. It wasn’t a surprise; Minnesota was a national powerhouse under legendary coach Bernie Bierman and was coming off national titles in both 1934 and 1935. The Gophers added another championship in 1936.

But only one of the six Minnesota picks, guard Vern Oech, went on to play in the NFL, and he wasn’t there for long. Oech, who went 42nd overall, appeared in eight games over two seasons with the Bears in 1936-37.

The top overall pick was Jay Berwanger, who had played for the University of Chicago, a charter member of the Big Ten. Chicago dropped football after the 1939 season.

Even Berwanger never played in the league. His rights were acquired by the Chicago Bears, but Berwanger and owner George Halas could not agree on a contract.

As a result, Berwanger took a job as a foam-rubber salesman. He later built a successful plastics company, where he made more money than he ever would have in the early NFL.

It was a decision that would be unheard of today, but in 1936, the NFL and its draft were no big deal. The league today is a glitzy, multi-billion-dollar enterprise, but in its infant days, the NFL was a primitive affair, with low salaries, sporadic attendance, and no television. Most road trips were by train, and players routinely had day jobs.

In many instances, teams played midweek exhibition games against local and semipro teams, hoping to earn some additional revenue to ensure their survival.

Even a big star like Berwanger wasn’t a sure bet to play in the league. In addition to being the first No. 1 overall pick in NFL draft history, he was also the first-ever recipient of the Heisman Trophy, which was initially awarded in 1935.

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That first Heisman Trophy was not a major happening, but neither was the inaugural NFL draft. The event was held on Feb. 8, 1936, in Philadelphia at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel and was intended to end the bidding wars that had broken out among league members for incoming talent.

The nine league teams each selected nine players, for a total of 81 picks. Like today, offensive backs were at a premium, with 28 selections.

There were also 15 ends, but unlike the modern era, offensive lines were in much higher demand and attracted more attention from the media and fans. Of the 81 players, 14 tackles, 12 guards and six centers were taken. Many in the draft were two-way players.

Of the 31 draftees who actually did play in the NFL, most of them weren’t there for long. Four players went on to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, including tackle Joe Stydahar of West Virginia, who went to the Chicago Bears with the sixth overall pick. Stydahar played on three NFL title teams in a nine-year career with the Bears.

The fourth pick overall, Dick Crayne, was a Big Ten guy, as he had been a three-time second-team all-conference selection at Iowa. He did play in the NFL, but not for long, spending two seasons with the long-defunct Brooklyn Dodgers, who were named after the baseball team, like many other early NFL franchises.

Crayne went on to spend 13 years as head coach at Westmar University, which is also now defunct. The No. 15 pick, Gomer Jones of Ohio State, skipped the NFL and later was an assistant at Oklahoma for 17 years, followed by eight years as the school’s athletic director from 1964-71.

Ettore Antonini enjoyed a successful coaching career on a lower level. The 51st overall pick from Indiana, he later served as head football coach at Muncie Central High School from 1945-61, fashioning a record of 82-46-6.

He was also the head coach in track and wrestling at Central before his retirement in 1966. Antonini was inducted into the Indiana Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame in January 1976, 10 months before his death.

Scouting was the choice of Wally Cruice of Northwestern, who went 70th overall to Green Bay, but did not play in the league. Rather, he became the Packers’ chief scout for 31 years, helping legendary head coaches like Curly Lambeau and Vince Lombardi.

The eighth pick overall was Sid Wagner of Michigan State, who spent three years with the Detroit Lions, then gave up football to become an engineer. Northwestern’s Paul Tangora went 29th and chose a career in criminal justice over the NFL.

Some excelled in the military, such as Bernie Scherer of Nebraska, who went 25th overall to Green Bay, and played three of his four years in the NFL with the Packers. He later was a colonel in World War II. Purdue’s Frank Loebs never played in the NFL, but was a lieutenant commander in the Navy during that same war.

One curious pick was the fourth-round selection by the Dodgers. Paul “Bear” Bryant, an end from Alabama, never accepted an NFL contract offer and began his coaching career that spring.

He went on to be the head coach at both Maryland and Kentucky before earning his legend at Texas A&M and Alabama. Bryant was one of many in the 1936 NFL Draft who never played in the league, and probably never regretted it.

• Tom Emery is a freelance writer and historical researcher from Carlinville, Illinois. He may be reached at 217-710-8392 or ilcivilwar@yahoo.com.