Joseph Lee "Jumbo Joe" Stydahar, inducted: 1956, At WVU:

A brilliant, but under-recognized two-sport athlete at West Virginia until his graduation in 1936, "Jumbo Joe" Stydahar lost that distinction after surprisingly being the first player taken by the Chicago Bears in the 1936 NFL draft -- the first player ever selected by the organization. Born in Kaylor, Pennsylvania, and later a standout at Shinnston High (W.Va.), Stydahar was a giant of a man (6-4, 245-lbs.) who became a perennial NFL all-star at tackle. A sixty-minute performer with the "Monsters of the Midway," Stydahar played without a helmet, one of the last performers to do so. He participated on three NFL championship teams with the Bears and was named to the official all-NFL team from 1937-40. He sandwiched a two-year stint in the Navy (1943-44) in the middle of his pro career, which finished in 1946. Following his playing career, Stydahar coached the 1951 Los Angeles Rams to the NFL championship, the organization's first and only title. Stydahar was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1956 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1967. He died March 23, 1977, in Beckley, W.Va.