Former Chicago Bears draft picks gained fame in other areas, including Don Meredith and Jim Fassel

Norm Cash (1955, 13th round)

Norm Cash was a star running back at San Angelo Junior College in Texas, but he declined to play pro football. A lifetime .271 hitter in 17 major league seasons with the White Sox (1958-59) and Tigers (1960-74), Cash hit 377 career home runs, the fourth most by an American League left-handed hitter when he retired behind only Babe Ruth, Ted Williams and Lou Gehrig.

Cash enjoyed a breakout season in 1961, leading the A.L. with a .361 batting average, the highest by any major league player in the 1960s. Cash twice won the A.L. Comeback Player of the Year Award in 1965 and ’71. He died in 1986 at the age of 51, drowning after slipping off a dock and hitting his head.

Walt Dropo (1946, 9th round)

Walt Dropo, who declined to sign a contract with the Bears to pursue a baseball career, batted .270 with 152 home runs and 704 RBIs in 12 major league seasons with the Red Sox (1949-52), Tigers (1952-54), White Sox (1955-58), Reds (1958-59) and Orioles (1959-61).

The 6-5, 220-pounder was named A.L. Rookie of the Year in 1950 after batting .322 with 34 home runs and 144 RBIs. Dropo still holds the major league record with 12 straight hits. A star end on offense and defense at the University of Connecticut, Dropo was also drafted by the Providence Steamrollers of the Basketball Association of America, which later became the NBA. He passed away Dec. 17, 2010, at the age of 87.

Jim Fassel (1972, 7th round)

After quarterbacking Fullerton College to a national junior college national championship in 1967, Jim Fassel moved on to USC and later Long Beach State. He never appeared in an NFL game, though he played briefly for the Hawaii Hawaiians in the World Football League.

Fassel began his coaching career as an assistant at Utah State and Stanford, where he worked with John Elway. In seven seasons as head coach of the Giants from 1997-2003, he compiled a 58-53-1 record and led New York to the NFC title in 2000. Fassel later served as Ravens offensive coordinator in 2004-06. He passed away June 7, 2021, at the age of 71.

Verne Gagne (1947, 14th round)

An All-Big Ten selection as a football player in his first year at the University of Minnesota in 1943, Verne Gagne concentrated on his wrestling career after returning to the school following two years in the Marines. A talented amateur wrestler, Gagne won NCAA championships in 1948 and ’49 and was a member of the 1948 U.S. Olympic…