Cookie Gilchrist had a bizarre road to the pro football in the United States, and dare we say had he never crossed the path of Paul Brown, the owner of the Cleveland Browns, and he could have been a household name in the 1960s.

Riley Matheson arrived in Cleveland with little (really no) fanfare to join the Rams in 1939 after going undrafted from Texas-El Paso.  Playing at both Offensive Lineman, Matheson broke out in 1942, earning his first First Team All-Pro, while also capturing that honor in 1944 and 1945.  Granted, this happened during World War II, where the league was depleted during World War II, but the NFL Champion in ’45 was out to prove he was there to stay.

From San Diego State, La’Roi Glover took a longer path for NFL stardom.  He was a 5^th Round Pick with the Oakland Raiders, but they would cut him a year later, and he would be picked up by the New Orleans Saints.  In New Orleans, he became a star, and in 2000 he would be named a First Team All-Pro, NFL Alumni Defensive Lineman of the Year, and the NFC Defensive Player of the Year.  The ferocious pass-rusher had 17.5 Sacks would also lead the league.  

As an NFL rookie in 1959 for the Chicago Bears, Lionel Taylor saw limited action, but his bench-warming days were behind him as he would sign with the Denver Broncos of the American Football League.