sˈɪɹz wʌz dɹˈæftᵻd ɪnðə fˈɪfθ ɹˈaʊnd ʌvðə nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd fˈoːɹɾi wˈʌn ˌɛnˌɛfˈɛl dɹˈæft, θˈɜːɾi θˈɜːd ˌoʊvɚɹˈɔːl, baɪ ðə pˈɪtsbɜːɡ stˈiːlɚz, ænd wʌz sˈuːn ˈæftɚ tɹˈeɪdᵻd tə ðə fɪlɐdˈɛlfiə ˈiːɡəlz fɔːɹ hˈuːm hiː plˈeɪd hɪz fˈɜːst ɡˈeɪm ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd fˈoːɹɾi wˈʌn.
Sears was drafted in the fifth round of the 1941 NFL Draft, (33rd overall), by the Pittsburgh Steelers, and was soon after traded to the Philadelphia Eagles for whom he played his first game in 1941.