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Draft Memories: Pete Pihos
To be drafted into the National Football League is an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Thousands of players have experienced that joyful moment since the college draft was instituted by the NFL in 1936. However, only a select number of these drafted players excelled on the NFL gridiron to the point that earned them a bust in Canton. Over the years, Profootballhof.com has sat down and asked some Hall of Famers to relive their draft day.
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| Pete Pihos |
Which Draft?
When the Philadelphia Eagles selected him as a future choice in the fifth round of the 1945 NFL Draft, it marked the second time that Pete Pihos was drafted. Pihos had been drafted in World War II. Certainly the pro football draft was preferable for the Hall of Fame end.
Pihos has vivid recollections of serving under the famed General Patton after having been drafted into wartime service. "He was a tough son-of-a-gun," Pihos recently recalled.
His military service, no doubt, prepared Pete for the challenges that lay ahead. He joined Philadelphia in 1947, after his discharge from the Army, and went on to star for the Eagles through 1955. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1970.
Hall of Famers Taken in the 1945 NFL Draft
Charley Trippi, HB, Chicago Cardinals - 1st round (1st overall)
Elroy "Crazylegs" Hirsch, HB-E, Cleveland Rams - 1st round (5th overall)
Tom Fears, E, Cleveland Rams - 11th round (103rd overall)
Arnie Weinmeister, E, Brooklyn Tigers - 17th round (166th overall)
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