The wild tale of how the Eagles' first draft pick never played for them

The Philadelphia Eagles' history dates back to the early 1930s, which means that their familiar colors are emblazoned upon many of the more memorable moments in NFL history. This included making the first-ever selection in the NFL Draft, the brainchild of former Eagles founder and owner Bert Bell.

However, this also became one of the biggest mistakes the Eagles made, as their chance to establish themselves alongside the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears as two of the elite teams in those formative decades. The first pick in NFL Draft history never played a single down with the Eagles.

Meet Jay Berwanger, who turned down two NFL teams and never played a down in the pros.

The Philadelphia Eagles took Jay Berwanger No. 1 overall, and he never played

Berwanger played for a University of Chicago team that was one of the best in college football at the time. Playing in a "one-platoon era" where any subsituted players could not return to the game until the end of the half, Berwanger was a star as a "back" on both offense and defense in college.

Berwanger ran for 577 yards, passed for 405, and amassed 359 in kick returns for the Maroons in 1935, scoring six touchdowns. This made Berwanger the winner of the Downtown Athletic Club Trophy, later known as the Heisman, for being the best player "east of the Mississippi."

The Eagles were naturally ready to jump at the chance to draft him, but his financial demands are what ultimately led to him refusing to play in Philadelphia.

Jay Berwanger was too expensive for the Eagles

Berwanger wanted to be paid $1,000 per game, and Philly was unable to pay that salary. He was eventually traded to the Bears for tackle Art Buss, who played just a few years in the NFL's formative years before retiring. Once again, money was the big issue for Berwanger in Chicago, although talks progressed further than they did with Philadelphia.

There are conflicting reports on what exactly Jay wanted. Some sources say Berwanger wanted a $15,000 salary (equivalent to $339,000 today) to play for the Bears, but penny-pinching owner George Halas refused to give him anything more than $13,500. Others say he demanded a two-year, $20,000 or $25,000 no-cut contract.

Berwanger declined the offers and took a job at a rubber company before moving into the worlds of sportswriting and car part manufacturing. Berwanger, a very humble guy who gave his Heisman Trophy to his aunt so she could use it as a doorstop, later expressed regret over not having taken the Eagles' and Bears' offers.

Berwanger has a successful business career before passing away in 2002 at 88. Berwanger could have been an Eagles legend, but he chose to consign himself to a footnote in NFL history and a trivia question that is sure to stump even the most attuned football fans.