In 1938, the Pittsburgh Pirates (today’s Steelers) selected Byron (“Whizzer”) White as the fourth overall pick in the NFL draft. White played as a halfback at the University of Colorado before his stint with Pittsburgh. White led the NFL in rushing as a rookie. He was the highest-paid player in the league at $15,800.
White took the 1939 season off to study at Oxford on a Rhodes Scholarship. He returned to the NFL, playing for the Detroit Lions in 1940 and 1941, leading the league in rushing in 1940.
For the following three years, he served in the Navy during World War I I. White decided against returning to football after the war and graduated from Yale Law School.
In 1962, he was appointed to the United States Supreme Court by President John F. Kennedy and served until his retirement in 1993.