All-time #1 selections

 
 YEAR    PLAYER, POSITION, SCHOOL                 SELECTED BY
 1995    Ki-Jana Carter, rb, Penn State           Cincinnati
 1994    Dan Wilkinson, dt, Ohio State            Cincinnati
 1993    Drew Bledsoe, qb, Washington State       New England
 1992    Steve Emtman, dl, Washington             Indianapolis
 1991    Russell Maryland, dt, Miami (Florida)    Dallas
 1990    Jeff George, qb, Illinois                Indianapolis
 1989    Troy Aikman, qb, UCLA                    Dallas
 1988    Aundray Bruce, lb, Auburn                Atlanta
 1987    Vinny Testaverde, qb, Miami (Florida)    Tampa Bay
 1986    Bo Jackson, rb, Auburn                   Tampa Bay
 1985    Bruce Smith, de, Virginia Tech           Buffalo
 1984    Irving Fryar, wr, Nebraska               New England
 1983    John Elway, qb, Stanford                 Baltimore
 1982    Kenneth Sims, de, Texas                  New England
 1981    George Rogers, rb, South Carolina        New Orleans
 1980    Billy Sims, rb, Oklahoma                 Detroit
 1979    Tom Cousineau, lb, Ohio State            Buffalo
 1978    Earl Campbell, rb, Texas                 Houston
 1977    Ricky Bell, rb, Southern California      Tampa Bay
 1976    Lee Roy Selmon, de, Oklahoma             Tampa Bay
 1975    Steve Bartkowski, qb, California         Atlanta
 1974    Ed Jones, de, Tennessee State            Dallas
 1973    John Matuszak, de, Tampa                 Houston
 1972    Walt Patulski, de, Notre Dame            Buffalo
 1971    Jim Plunkett, qb, Stanford               New England
 1970    Terry Bradshaw, qb, Louisiana Tech       Pittsburgh
 1969    O.J. Simpson, rb, Southern California    Buffalo
 1968    Ron Yary, t, Southern California         Minnesota
 1967    Bubba Smith, de, Michigan State          Baltimore
 1966    Tommy Nobis, lb, Texas                   Atlanta (NFL)
         Jim Grabowski, rb, Illinois              Miami (AFL)
 1965    Tucker Frederickson, rb, Auburn          New York Giants (NFL)
         Lawrence Elkins, wr, Baylor              Houston (AFL)
 1964    Dave Parks, wr, Texas Tech               San Francisco (NFL)
         Jack Concannon, qb, Boston College       Boston (AFL)
 1963    Terry Baker, qb, Oregon State            Los Angeles (NFL)
         Buck Buchanan, dt, Grambling             Kansas City (AFC)
 1962    Ernie Davis, rb, Syracuse                Washington (NFL)
         Roman Gabriel, qb, North Carolina State  Oakland (AFL)                
 1961    Tommy Mason, rb, Tulane                  Minnesota (NFL)
         Ken Rice, g, Auburn                      Buffalo (AFL)
 1960    Billy Cannon, rb, Louisiana State        Los Angeles (NFL)
         (AFL had no formal first pick)
 1959    Randy Duncan, qb, Iowa                   Green Bay
 1958    King Hill, qb, Rice                      Chicago Cardinals
 1957    Paul Hornung, rb, Notre Dame             Green Bay
 1956    Gary Glick, db, Colorado A&M             Pittsburgh
 1955    George Shaw, qb, Oregon                  Baltimore
 1954    Bobby Garrett, qb, Stanford              Cleveland
 1953    Harry Babcock, e, Georgia                San Francisco
 1952    Bill Wade, qb, Vanderbilt                Los Angeles
 1951    Kyle Rote, hb, Southern Methodist        New York Giants
 1950    Leon Hart, e, Notre Dame                 Detroit
 1949    Chuck Bednarik, c, Pennsylvania          Philadelphia
 1948    Harry Gilmer, qb, Alabama                Washington
 1947    Bob Fenimore, hb, Oklahoma A&M           Chicago Bears
 1946    Frank Dancewicz, qb, Notre Dame          Boston
 1945    Charley Trippi, hb, Georgia              Chicago Cardinals
 1944    Angelo Bertelli, qb, Notre Dame          Boston
 1943    Frank Sinkwich, hb, Georgia              Detroit       
 1942    Bill Dudley, hb, Virginia                Pittsburgh
 1941    Tom Harmon, hb, Michigan                 Chicago Bears
 1940    George Cafego, hb, Tennessee             Chicago Cardinals
 1939    Ki Aldrich, c, Texas Christian           Chicago Cardinals
 1938    Corbett Davis, fb, Indiana               Cleveland
 1937    Sam Francis, fb, Nebraska                Philadelphia
 1936    Jay Berwanger, hb, Chicago               Philadelphia