On This Day

NFL Draft: University of Texas defensive end Kenneth Sims first pick by New England Patriots

The 1982 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting.

The 1982 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 27–28, 1982, at the New York Sheraton Hotel in New York City, New York. At the time of the draft the Raiders were still the Oakland Raiders, they relocated to Los Angeles in May 1982. The league also held a supplemental draft after the regular draft and before the regular season.

With the first overall pick of the draft, the New England Patriots selected defensive end Kenneth Sims.

Historical Significance

The 1982 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players.

Events Before

  1. Greece becomes the 10th country to join the European Economic Community

    Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia...

  2. Police drama "Hill Street Blues" premieres on NBC

    "Hill Street Station" is the first episode of the first season of the American serial police drama Hill Street Blues.

  3. Ronald Reagan is inaugurated as the 40th President of the United States

    The first inauguration of Ronald Reagan as the 40th president of the United States was held on Tuesday, January 20, 1981, at the West Front of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C.

  4. Twenty-year-old Edmonton center Wayne Gretzky becomes the first player in NHL history to score five career hat tricks be

    Twenty-year-old Edmonton center Wayne Gretzky becomes the first player in NHL history to score five career hat tricks before age 21, scoring five goals and two assists in a 9-2 Oilers home win against St. Louis

  5. George Harrison is ordered to pay ABKCO Music $587,000 for "subconscious plagiarism" of his song "My Sweet Lord" from Ro

    George Harrison is ordered to pay ABKCO Music $587,000 for "subconscious plagiarism" of his song "My Sweet Lord" from Ronnie Mack's song "He's So Fine"

Events After

  1. 'New Age' music radio program "Hearts of Space," hosted by Stephen Hill, makes its national syndication debut on U.S. Na

    'New Age' music radio program "Hearts of Space," hosted by Stephen Hill, makes its national syndication debut on U.S. National Public Radio

  2. IOC restores Jim Thorpe's Olympic medals for his pentathlon and decathlon victories, 70 years after they were stripped f

    IOC restores Jim Thorpe's Olympic medals for his pentathlon and decathlon victories, 70 years after they were stripped from him for accepting $25 to play semi-pro baseball

  3. Film genius Jerry Lewis (56) marries 2nd wife dancer SanDee Pitnick

    Film genius Jerry Lewis (56) marries 2nd wife dancer SanDee Pitnick

  4. Final TV episode of "M*A*S*H" airs on CBS, a two-hour special directed by series star Alan Alda titled "Goodbye, Farewel

    Final TV episode of "M*A*S*H" airs on CBS, a two-hour special directed by series star Alan Alda titled "Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen"; a record 125 million viewers watch in the US

  5. Actor Harrison Ford marries screenwriter Melissa Mathison (divorced 2004)

    Francis Ford Coppola ( KOH-pə-lə; born April 7, 1939) is an American filmmaker. One of the leading figures of the New Hollywood, Coppola is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential...

More from the 1980s

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on April 27, 1982?
The 1982 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 27–28, 1982, at the New York Sheraton Hotel in New York City, New York.
Why is NFL Draft: University of Texas defensive end Kenneth Sims first pick by New E... significant?
The 1982 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players.

Explore More