NFL Draft: A History of Hope From the AFA

As football fans, we’re all excited.  The NFL draft is finally here- the first sporting event in months!
Maybe the draft is even more engaging this year because we all need hope.
As 255 young men get selected over the next 3 days, hundreds of other young men who have dreamed of playing in the NFL, should keep their hopes alive.
The AFA Hall of Fame includes dozens of players who continue their careers, but started off their careers playing minor pro football.

Who, you ask? The American Football Association serves as a Springboard for many players over the years…

Lou Piccone, who played with the Youngstown Hard Hats;
Bob Kuechenberg with the Chicago Owls;
Jeff Van Note, who played football with the Alabama Hawks;
Johnny Unitas, who played with the Bloomfield Rams, and
Ray Seals, who played for the Syracuse Express.

There are many others, who started with the love of the game, and the American Football Association semi pro league gave them a place to play and to develop and be noticed by the NFL.  And today, in spite of intense global struggle through this pandemic, we have hope, because anything can happen during the draft.