Vintage Chicago Tribune: Nine No. 1 draft picks made by Chicago’s professional sports teams
Chicago had to wait 10 years to see another No. 1 draft pick.
The Blackhawks’ selection joins an elite class of nine other athletes since 1940 who were selected at the top of their draft classes by Chicago teams.
Here’s a look back at them and how they fared.
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Tom Harmon (Bears)
Drafted: Dec. 10, 1940
Harmon, a Gary native, was considered by many who covered college football — including the Tribune — to be its best player that year. But instead of signing a contract with the Bears, Harmon signed one for $15,000 with Columbia Pictures — to star in a film called “Harmon of Michigan.”
Bob Fenimore (Bears)
Drafted: Dec. 16, 1946
Unlike Harmon, Oklahoma A&M (now Oklahoma State) halfback “Blonde Bomber” Fenimore did sign with the Bears — but not before a trade was considered with the Buffalo Bisons of the All-America Football Conference. He played in 10 games for the Bears during the 1947 season but wrote a letter to Halas stating he would sit out the next season because of back and groin injuries incurred from exercising on a horse apparatus at a gym. He remained in Oklahoma, where he became an insurance salesman.
Patrick Kane (Blackhawks)
Drafted: June 22, 2007
Kane went from high school in Buffalo to the Ontario league, where he captured both the OHL and CHL scoring titles. With James van Riemsdyk from Middletown, New Jersey, it was the first time the first two selections were U.S.-born players.
Kane remained with the Hawks for almost 16 seasons before being traded earlier this year to the New York Rangers. He could become an unrestricted free agent July 1.
Elton Brand (Bulls)
Drafted: June 30, 1999
The Bulls chose the 6-foot-8-inch, 275-pound Brand and established the 20-year-old power forward as the cornerstone of a rebuilding effort. He earned Rookie of the Year honors, but was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers two seasons later.
Derrick Rose (Bulls)
Drafted: June 26, 2008
The 19-year-old Englewood native returned home. Rose led Simeon to back-to-back state titles, was named Mr. Basketball of Illinois in 2007 and was the point guard on a Memphis team that was runner-up in the NCAA Tournament.
Shawon Dunston (Cubs)
Drafted: June 7, 1982
Dunston did not have an agent. The New York native never had been to Chicago and knew about Wrigley Field only from seeing it on television.
“An old park but a nice one,” the 19-year-old shortstop said after the Cubs picked him.
Zakiya Bywaters (Red Stars)
Drafted: Jan. 18, 2013
The Pac-12 Player of the Year at UCLA was the first draft pick in the NWSL, which started after the bankruptcy of the Women’s Professional Soccer League.
Bywaters scored two goals in six games her rookie year despite being sidelined for majority of the season. She scored two more goals in 19 games in 2014. Unfortunately, Bywaters would never recover fully from her injury and the Red Stars eventually waived her.
Danny Goodwin (White Sox)
Drafted: June 8, 1971
It wasn’t a surprise when the Sox took the 17-year-old catcher from Peoria — the team announced its decision a day before the draft. Yet it was a shock when the 6-foot-1 star chose to get a college education at Southern University in Louisiana — with the goal of becoming a dentist — instead of signing with the team. He was selected with the No. 1 pick again by the California Angels in 1975.
Harold Baines (White Sox)
Drafted: June 7, 1977
Sox owner Bill Veeck scouted the 6-2, 175-pound left-handed hitter himself — Baines lived near Veeck’s former home in Maryland.
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