The Times of India

On this day in sports history, May 19, 1935: NFL owners approved first annual college draft to begin in 1936

On this day in 1935, NFL team owner Bert Bell, co-owner of the struggling Philadelphia Eagles, helped reshape professional football by proposing a system that allowed weaker teams first access to top college talent. Designed to prevent wealthy clubs from dominating player recruitment, the idea became the foundation of the modern NFL Draft, now one of American sports most influential and widely followed annual events.