John William "Zero" Drake (March 27, 1916 – March 26, 1973) was an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

player. He was the first round pick (10th overall) by the

Cleveland Rams The Cleveland Rams were a professional American football team that played in Cleveland from 1936 to 1945. The Rams competed in the second American Football League (AFL) for the 1936 season and the National Football League (NFL) from 1937 to 1 ...

, their first ever

draft pick A draft is a process used in some countries (especially in North America) and sports (especially in closed leagues) to allocate certain players to teams. In a draft, teams take turns selecting from a pool of eligible players. When a team selec ...

, in the

1937 NFL Draft The 1937 National Football League Draft was the second draft held by the National Football League (NFL). The draft took place December 12, 1936, at the Hotel Lincoln in New York City. The draft consisted of 10 rounds, with 100 player selections, ...

. A Purdue Boilermakers running back, he led the NFL in touchdowns in the 1939 & 1940 seasons.

External links

Biography of Johnny Drake
- by Professional Football Researchers Association 1916 births 1973 deaths American football fullbacks Purdue Boilermakers football players Cleveland Rams players Players of American football from Chicago {{Runningback-1910s-stub