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The 2025 NFL draft in Green Bay represents a novel moment for Packers fans, but technically, it’s not the first NFL draft to take place on Wisconsin soil.
Although, more than 85 years earlier, the draft was an entirely different animal.
The draft for the 1940 NFL season actually was held Dec. 9, 1939, one day before the 1939 NFL Championship Game between the Packers and New York Giants (also taking place in Milwaukee … or, West Allis, or Wauwatosa? More on that in a second).
It essentially was part of a pre-championship gathering featuring coaches and owners, similar to what you might picture for the annual winter meetings, and was housed in the same city as the title game.
Here’s what transpired:
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Shown in 1941, the Schroeder Hotel was Milwaukee’s largest when it was built; it served as home to the 1940 NFL Draft (in December of 1939).
Where was the 1940 NFL draft held?
Today, it’s known as the Hilton Milwaukee City Center on Wisconsin Avenue in downtown Milwaukee. But when it opened in 1928, it was known as the Schroeder Hotel, and the draft took place inside the Empire Ballroom.
The hotel was sold to Sheraton Hotels in 1966 and to Marcus Corp. in 1995, but it remains a unique building in Milwaukee’s urban landscape. It was even slotted as the headquarters hotel for the 2020 Democratic National Convention before the COVID-19 pandemic dramatically altered that event.
It’s also part of the Historic Hotels of America program, which also includes the Pfister Hotel and The American Club in Kohler.
George Cafego, 21-year-old All-American quarterback for the Tennessee Vols, is shown in Knoxville, Tenn., on Nov. 14, 1939. (AP Photo)
Who got taken in the 1940 NFL draft?
Fullback George Cafego of Tennessee was the first…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/did-know-nfl-draft-wisconsin-110412891.html?src=rss
Author : Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Publish date : 2023-05-26 11:04:12
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