Nolan Ryan in the 70s got 1 million. In now days would get about 50 M like A-rod back in his old days.
Well the first in baseball (and i think athlete) to have a one million dollar contract was nolan ryan.
John Elway
Brett Favre
Nolan Ryan was the first that I know of.
Charlie Chaplin in 1918 :D
Shaquille o neale
Dave Parker signed a million dollar contract on Jan. 1, 1979. Nolan Ryan signed his on a day in Nov. 1979, therefor Dave Parker was the first Million dollar a year ballplayer.
NFL Hall of Famer John Elway holds many records in the league. One which he may not even realize he has is the fact that he was the first million dollar quarterback.
No, Pete Maravich never signed a million dollar contract during his playing career. He played in the NBA from 1970 to 1980, a time when player salaries were much lower compared to today's NBA. At the peak of his career, Maravich was earning around $300,000 per season.
Catfish Hunter had the first multi-million dollar major league contract. Peter Seitz, baseball's arbitrator, found that Hunter's contract was breached and declared Hunter a free agent. As one of the top pitchers of the game, he was free to sign with any team he wished. Over 20 teams sought his services and ultimately Hunter signed baseballs' first multi-million dollar contract. His five-year $3.25 million deal with the New York Yankees included a $1 million signing bonus, life insurance and deferred compensation and a $150,000 annual salary. Source: Mark's Sportslaw
In the mid 80's... M.J. "AIR" took them to the next level and was the first multi million dollar contract.
Derek Sanderson was the first player EVER to sign a million dollar contract, however he didn't have the highest annual salary. The total worth of the contract was the most. For Example, A-Rod signed a 300 million dollar deal in baseball. If say Manny Ramirez signed a 2 year 65 million dollar deal, Manny would average more per season, while A-Rods total contract was more.