Speaking of then and now monies, and the RIP for Dwight Clark....his salary with the 49ers in his first year was 30K.
Billy Cannon died about 3 weeks ago and his his first overall draft pick story sounds more like now than then less a few commas and zeros.
In November 1959, Cannon signed a contract with Los Angeles Rams general manager Pete Rozelle, in which he agreed to play for the Rams in the National Football League. The contract was for three years for $30,000, plus a $10,000 signing bonus. Two months later, on the field after LSU's Sugar Bowl loss, Cannon signed another contract; this one was with the American Football League's Houston Oilers, whose owner Bud Adams offered Cannon $33,000 a year for three years with a $10,000 signing bonus. At Cannon's request, Adams also promised him a Cadillac for his father. When it became known that he had signed with two different teams, the Rams filed a suit that claimed Cannon was bound by their contract and could not sign with Houston. Judge William Lindberg ruled against the Rams, stating the contracts were void and that Rozelle had taken advantage of Cannon's naivete. Lindberg described Cannon as "exceptionally naive ... a provincial lad untutored and unwise in the ways of the business world. "The AFL's victory against the established NFL helped bring legitimacy to the fledgling league. After the ruling, Cannon finalized his contract to play in the AFL for the Oilers. The contract made him the first $100,000 professional football player.
As one of the highest-paid players in professional football, he was heckled early on by opposing players.
And after all that he ended up broke and in prison.
