Bill Guckeyson John William " Bill " Guckeyson ( ; date of birth unknown – May 21 , 1944 ) was an American athlete and military aviator . He was the first University of Maryland football player selected in the NFL Draft . Guckeyson was killed in combat as a fighter pilot during the Second World War . Early life and college career . Guckeyson was born in Chevy Chase , Maryland and graduated from Bethesda - Chevy Chase High School in 1933 . While there , he played basketball , soccer , and competed in track & field . In 1932 , at the Maryland state track meet , he set the state shot put record at 50 feet ( 15 meters ) , which stood for 28 years . There , it is reported that Guckeyson also won the 100 - yard dash event with a recorded time of 10 . 2 seconds . He was the captain of the basketball team for two years and the varsity soccer team for three years . Despite his high school not having a football team at the time , Guckeyson was awarded a football scholarship to attend Maryland based upon his soccer - playing ability . He attended college at the University of Maryland where he played football , basketball , and baseball , and ran track . In these athletic fields , Guckeyson compiled nine letters during his four years at Maryland . He set the school javelin throw record at 204 ft , 5 in ( 62 . 22 meters ) . In both 1935 and 1936 , he was named an All - Southern Conference football player and an honorable - mention All - American . Frank Dobson — who coached football for forty years at Georgia , Clemson , South Carolina , Richmond , and Maryland — said Guckeyson was the best athlete he had known . During his senior year , Guckeyson was elected class president . Military career . Upon graduation from Maryland , Guckeyson was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the sixth round of the 1937 NFL Draft , making him the first Maryland player ever selected . However , he turned down offers to play professional sports , and instead accepted a nomination to attend the United States Military Academy at West Point . While there , Guckeyson was no longer eligible to play football , but was named a first - team All - American in soccer in 1941 . Once again , he was elected as class president . Guckeyson graduated from West Point in 1942 and received a commission as an officer in the United States Army . He again turned down offers for a professional sports career when the former Washington Senators manager , Clark Griffith , and pitcher , Walter Johnson , asked him to join the major league . He attended flight school and was certified as a fighter pilot in the United States Army Air Forces before being deployed overseas in December 1942 . As a fighter pilot , Guckeyson earned a Purple Heart , three Air Medal s , and two Distinguished Flying Cross es — the fourth - highest award for combat valor in flight . While serving in the 375th Fighter Squadron , 361st Fighter Group , Guckeyson flew a P - 47 Thunderbolt ( " Contrary Mary " ) and , after his unit transitioned to the newer airframe , a P - 51 Mustang ( serial : 42 - 103349 ) fighter aircraft . He was credited with at least 2 . 5 enemy aircraft kills in aerial combat : two Me - 109 fighters and a Ju - 188 night fighter , which was destroyed with the assistance of another pilot . Guckeyson was reportedly killed on a strafing run on 21 May 1944 when his P - 51 Mustang fighter was shot down . At the time of his death , he had attained the rank of captain , and his remains were interred in France . His remains are interred at the Lorraine American Cemetery and Memorial in Saint - Avold , France . In 1955 , Bethesda - Chevy Chase High School named its athletic playing field Guckeyson Memorial Stadium in his honor . He was inducted into the Touchdown Club Hall of Fame , and in 1982 , the University of Maryland Athletic Hall of Fame .