HERO Sports is counting down the 100 days until the kickoff of the 2018 college football season on Saturday, Aug. 25, with daily trivia. Each day, from May 17 through Aug. 24, we'll publish one college football trivia question.
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University of Chicago running back Jay Berwanger was the first winner of the Heisman Trophy, capturing what later became the most prestigious individual honor in American sports in 1935. Berwanger was selected by Philadelphia Eagles with the first pick in the 1936 NFL Draft. The Eagles, however, couldn't sign him and traded his draft rights to the Chicago Bears. And when Berwanger didn't sign with the Bears, he went into private business and never played a snap in the NFL.
Jay Berwanger was the first of seven Heisman Trophy winners who never played in the NFL. One of those winners opted for a basketball career instead.
Who's the only Heisman Trophy winner to play in the NBA?
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Answer
Charlie Ward
Charlie Ward played both basketball and football at Florida State. The 1993 Heisman Trophy winner, who was projected as a mid-round pick in the 1994 NFL Draft, said he wouldn't play in the NFL unless he was a first-round selection. Ward was not drafted and kept his promise, playing in the NBA after the New York Knicks drafted in the first round.
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