Kern County has a rich history of producing NFL talent, with dozens of local players beginning their careers at historic Griffith Field and making it to the pros. Of those players, only six were selected in the first round of th e NFL Draft.Half of those first-round picks were Drillers from Bakersfield High School. The others came from Garces, Stockdale, and East High School. Mark Nichols is the only player from East High School to ever play in the NFL."I was the youngest out of seven kids," Nichols said.Nichols lost both of his parents during his teenage years. He played his freshman and senior years at East High School before attending Bakersfield College, where he fine-tuned his game under coach Gerry Collis."He used always to tell me to say yes, don't say yeah," Nichols said."When somebody speaks to you, you say yes. People who knew that I didn't have that father figure in my life and they took, uh, the, uh, that opportunity to, uh, make me out of the man that I am now," Nichols said.Nichols spent two years at San Jose State under offensive coordinator Dennis Erickson before entering the 1981 NFL Draft as a potential first-round pick. Unlike today's drafts with flashy suits and jewelry, Nichols waited for the call at a friend's apartment because he did not have a phone in his dorm room."They had a mock, matter of fact, they had a mock draft. I can remember they had me going to Kansas City in the 14th pick," Nichols said.Nichols was selected in the first round by the Detroit Lions. He joins a short list of local players drafted in the first round that includes Frank Gifford, Jeff Siemon, Louis Wright, Ken Ruettgers, and David Carr."One of my bragging points that I can always talk about, you know, I mean, so that was a good thing for me," Nichols said.In six seasons with the Lions, Nichols caught 124 passes for more than 2,200 yards and nine touchdowns. However, his greatest reception happened off the field."I met my wife, Terrace, and we became real good friends and we got married two years later and I had, uh, since then we had, we got three kids that live out here in California and the rest is history," Nichols said.After his playing career, Nichols made his way back to Bakersfield. He reunited with Rick Van Horn as an assistant coach at Eastern in the 1990s and remains eternally grateful to those who helped him along the way."That makes me feel old because I'm 66 now, but I, I still feel good and I'm blessed that, uh, I'm able to do some of the things, walk and, and talk and try not to take for granted and just count my blessings, you know," Nichols said.While his pro career did not end up in Canton, Ohio, his hometown of Bakersfield inducted him into the Bob Elias Kern County Sports Hall of Fame in 1988.Kern County has seen other notable firsts in football. Pete Shaffnit from Kern Union High School played for the Los Angeles Buccaneers in 1926. Twenty-five years later, Gifford was a first-round pick by the New York Giants and remains the first and only Hall of Fame selection from Bakersfield. In 2002, Carr became the first overall pick when he was selected by the Houston Texans.This story was reported on air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.Stay in Touch with Us Anytime, Anywhere: Download Our Free App for Apple and Android Sign Up for Our Daily E-mail Newsletter Like Us on Facebook Follow Us on Instagram Subscribe to Us on YouTube ...read more read less