Gary Clark was so good at James Madison that he would later become the first football player to have his number retired.  That being said, Clark did not begin his professional career in the NFL, as it was the Jacksonville Bulls of the USFL, which would become his first landing spot.

After becoming one of the first players in Washington State history to be named an All-American, Turk Edward signed with the Boston Braves and joined them in their inaugural season in the National Football League.

We have to way back for this one, right to the franchise's origin when they were called the Boston Braves.

The Washington Redskins owner, George Preston Marshall, did not want to integrate his team, but the team was forced to do so by the National Football League.  In 1961, under pressure from the NFL and the Federal Government, Marshall drafted Ernie Davis, the first ever African American Heisman winner.