USC's greatest offensive lineman rejected his NFL draft selection

TL;DR

USC football legend Ron Mix, considered one of the greatest offensive linemen, rejected the NFL draft to join the AFL. He was drafted first by both the Los Angeles Chargers in the AFL and the Baltimore Colts in the NFL but chose the Chargers for a better contract.

Key points

Ron Mix is a USC football legend and top offensive lineman.
He was drafted first by both the AFL and NFL in 1960.
Mix chose the AFL for a better contract with the Chargers.

Mentioned in this story

Ron MixLos Angeles ChargersBaltimore Colts

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USC football legend Ron Mix is arguably the greatest offensive lineman in the school's rich history. Ron Mix barely allowed any sacks -- he says the number is on one hand -- in a decade-long pro football career. He is right there alongside Ron Yary and Anthony Munoz as the Trojans' finest offensive lineman ever. Yet, he didn't begin his pro football career in the NFL. He went to the AFL.

After Mix's final USC football season in 1959, the AFL began its existence in its inaugural 1960 season. If Mix had graduated from USC one year earlier, there would have been no AFL draft to compete with the NFL draft. As it was, the Los Angeles Chargers took Mix with their first pick in the first AFL draft. The Baltimore Colts picked Mix with their first selection in the 1960 NFL draft. Mix had a choice. He recalled the calculations he had to make:

"The NFL thought the AFL would just be here and gone. I know I was the number one draft choice of the Baltimore Colts and the number one pick in the AFL also, and the Colts offered me now. So I was the 10th player chosen in the NFL draft. In theory, a lot of people thought I was the 10th-best player in the entire country. They (the Colts) offered me a $1,000 signing bonus and a one-year contract, non-guaranteed at $7,500.

"I know that sounds like the kind of money that you just give on tips, but actually, it was more money than the average American was earning. I told (then-Colts owner) Carroll Rosenbloom that the Chargers had offered me a two-year guaranteed contract, $12,000 a year, and a $5,000 signing bonus. I said I'd rather play for the Colts."

Ron Mix wanted Rosenbloom and the Colts to increase their offer. If they had matched the Chargers, Mix would have headed to Baltimore. Rosenbloom wouldn't budge. Mix went to the Bolts and the AFL, where he won a championship a few years later in 1963.

Q&A

Why did Ron Mix choose the AFL over the NFL?

Ron Mix chose the AFL because the Los Angeles Chargers offered him a more lucrative two-year guaranteed contract compared to the non-guaranteed offer from the Baltimore Colts.

What were the contract offers Ron Mix received from the Colts and Chargers?

The Colts offered Ron Mix a $1,000 signing bonus and a one-year contract worth $7,500, while the Chargers offered a two-year guaranteed contract of $12,000 per year and a $5,000 signing bonus.

What impact did Ron Mix have on USC football?

Ron Mix is regarded as one of the greatest offensive linemen in USC history, known for allowing very few sacks during his decade-long professional career.