Norm Van Lier played at Saint Francis, and though it was a small school, the Chicago Bulls took him in the Third Round in 1969.  So, this is where run in Chicago started, right?  No.

Bob Love played his college ball at Southern, and he did well enough for the Cincinnati Royals to get drafted in the Fourth Round in 1965.  Love didn't make the team, but after a year in the Eastern Basketball League (where he was the MVP), he tried again to make the Royals, and he made the roster.

We were not conflicted in making Jerry Rice the greatest player in the history of San Francisco 49ers.  As for who came next, it was not as simple.

Actually, the real question was which Hall of Fame Quarterback would be next, Steve Young or Joe Montana.  As you have easily deduced, we decided on Montana, but it was a last-minute decision.  It was paper-thin close.

Young was an All-American at BYU, and before the NFL Draft, he signed with the L.A. Express of the USFL, and when that league folded, he signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who had his rights from the Supplemental Draft.  Young's time with the Bucs was not successful, as he only won three games in two years, and the team was horrendous.  He was traded to San Francisco to be Joe Montana's understudy, as Tampa took another QB in the Draft, Vinny Testaverde.

A National Champion at Notre Dame in 1977, Joe Montana was a Third Round Pick two years later by the San Francisco 49ers, where he began his pro career as Steve DeBerg’s backup.