Celebrities who balled: Famous people who were athletes

Before he was The Rock, action superstar, he was Dwayne Johnson, defensive tackle for "The U," and teammate of Warren Sapp, to name one luminary Hurricane in particular. Any dreams he had of playing in the pros were dashed by a knee injury, but Johnson quickly pivoted to pro wrestling, where before long he became the biggest star in the business. A crossover to movies was a natural next step, and his charisma and credibility as an actual tough guy quickly vaulted him to the top of the cinematic heap.

The Migos member, seen here accepting his MVP Award for the 2018 Celebrity All-Star Game, has chops in multiple sports. He was also the starting quarterback for his high school football team in suburban Atlanta, and for a time held the Gwinnett County high school record for most completions in a single game, with 28. 

The "NCIS" star is known for playing a tough, no-nonsense guy on screen, but in real life he was a heck of a wishbone quarterback at UCLA. After two years at Los Angeles' Pierce College, Harmon was recruited by the Bruins as well as Oklahoma. The Sooners were coming off a season that saw them finish second in the nation, but Harmon turned them down. Harmon's first game for UCLA was a doozy: He led the Bruins to a 20-17 upset of two-time defending national champion Nebraska. In two seasons with UCLA, Harmon posted a 17-5 record.

If you're looking for someone to play the heavyweight champion of the world, you had better find someone that looks the part, and Weathers, whose iconic turn as Apollo Creed in "Rocky" made him a star, had the athletic chops. Weathers played linebacker for Don Coryell at San Diego State, then moved on to a brief career with the Oakland Raiders before moving on to play with the CFL's B.C. Lions from 1971-1974.

You probably know the story if you are a fan of "Married... with Children" or "Modern Family" or just happen to have grown up in the Rust Belt: Ed O'Neill, who played football at Ohio University and Youngstown State, actually had a tryout with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1969. While he didn't make the team, O'Neill's Al Bundy character routinely boasted of scholastic athletic greatness, and Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw even made a few guest appearances on "Married... with Children."

Crews is one of the most accomplished athletes on this list. The "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" star played with three teams in three NFL seasons, his last with the Redskins in 1995. Crews also spent time with the Rhein Fire in NFL Europe and was a member of the Eagles practice squad in 1996, though he was not elevated to the active roster.

Lee, who starred in "My Name Is Earl," as well as several different Kevin Smith films, was a professional skateboarder before turning to acting. He co-founded Stereo Skateboards, a company that distributes skateboard decks. He has also partnered with Tony Hawk on a video game as well as skateboarding-themed charity endeavors.

Before he starred as Thomas Magnum in "Magnum, P.I.," Selleck was a member of the USC basketball team, where, because the Trojans did not have much height, he had to simulate Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in practice. It's a rarity that film and movie roles require less of a suspension of disbelief than real-life events, but it's easier to imagine Selleck as a private investigator than as a 7-foot-2 center.

Jones, a noted tough guy in several films, including "Snatch" and "Gone in 60 Seconds," also played the role of Juggernaut in "X-Men: The Last Stand." Before he was an actor, though, he was an accomplished soccer star. Jones was captain of the Welsh National Team and won the 1988 FA Cup as a member of Wimbledon. He also spent time with Chelsea, Leeds United, Sheffield United and Queens Park Rangers during a career that spanned 15 years.

Carano was for some time the most recognizable female MMA fighter in the world, and her bout with Cris Cyborg marked the first time that two women headlined a major MMA event. Though Carano lost that bout, she went on to a career in several high-profile films, including 2011's "Haywire," "Fast & Furious 6" in 2013 and "Deadpool" in 2016. 

One could argue that Karras doesn't belong on this list because his stardom as an athlete drove him to a film and television career. Still, one of his roles, in particular, was so memorable that he deserves to be mentioned. Karras, a defensive tackle, was the 10th pick in the 1958 NFL Draft and was a First-team All-Pro four times in his career with Detroit. He is also a member of the College Football Hall of Fame. What many film fans will remember him for, however, is his memorable turn as Mongo in the classic 1974 comedy "Blazing Saddles."

Before he rose to fame as Clark Kent/Superman on ABC's "Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman," Cain both dated Brooke Shields and was a football player at Princeton. Cain signed with the Buffalo Bills as an undrafted free agent after his Princeton days, but a knee injury ended any realistic chance he had at a professional career. 

If you're thinking, "wow, Jason Statham looks pretty effortless performing a fairly advanced diving maneuver," there's a good reason for it. Before he became famous as the star of several action films, most notably "The Transporter" trilogy, and "The Italian Job" Statham was a member of Britain's national diving team that competed in the 1990 Commonwealth Games. Statham also took up various forms of martial arts at an early age, which explains how he's able to play such a convincing tough guy.

When you think Joel McHale, you think of a funny, sarcastic guy — a guy constantly wisecracking as the longtime host of "The Soup" — right? Well McHale's athletic credentials are pretty impressive in their own right. He walked on to the football team at the University of Washington for two years and apparently drew rave reviews from his teammates for his toughness and willingness to take hits, among other things. I know — I have a hard time visualizing it, too. File it under strange but true.

Stewart attended the College of William & Mary in Virginia and was a pretty fair soccer player in his day. Though his description of himself in college was that of a slacker, his coach termed him a good player and one who brought lots of energy. One imagines the comedian and longtime "Daily Show" host, who is on the shorter side, being an absolutely infuriating player to go against, given the adjectives his coach used to describe him.

Watson didn't ascend as high as some others on this list, but she was an avid field hockey player, and during her time at Brown University, she played on the club team. The "Harry Potter" star didn't play at a level higher than that, but given that she was finding time to attend school between movie shoots, the fact that she played a sport represents a good bit of dedication and time commitment.

Fox played wide receiver at Columbia University, and while the star of "Lost," "Party of Five" and "We Are Marshall" had a touchdown reception called back in the biggest game of his career, against Princeton in 1989, Columbia won the game 16-13, snapping a 44-game losing streak. In Fox's words, "the goal posts came down, and the campus partied for two days." Sounds like a pretty good ending, lost touchdown or not.

Washington played as a member of the J.V. team at Fordham in the 1970s for future NBA head coach P.J. Carlesimo. Described by virtually everyone associated with the program as a tough, athletic guard, without much of a jump shot but with plenty of slashing ability, the "Training Day" star was well liked on the team, and his defensive tenacity gained him plenty of respect.

Tatum had a scholarship to play football at Glenville State College in West Virginia but didn't stick with it for too long, instead moving back to Florida and working as, among other things, a stripper. That time in his life was the inspiration for the movie "Magic Mike," and while gridiron glory is a dream for many young athletes, it seems Tatum was wise to give up football, given how modeling and movie stardom have turned out for him.

Ali had a scholarship to play basketball at St. Mary's College, but the "Moonlight" star quickly became disenchanted with the treatment given to the team's athletes and subsequently left the team. However, he quickly developed an interest in acting and has never looked back. Who knows, though — had he been a few years younger, and not had a bad experience, perhaps Ali could have blocked the late-1990s rise of Gonzaga from regional obscurity to national prominence.

Everyone knows Schwarzenegger's story, but it's worth recounting. He was a bodybuilder and Mr. Universe winner and has had equivalent, if not greater success as an actor, starring in several "Terminator" movies as well as a slew of other action blockbusters. Schwarzenegger is one of the few people on this list whose accomplishments in his athletic discipline are equivalent in scope to what he's done in the entertainment world. 

Before there was movie and reality television stardom, before there was a pro wrestling career that put him on the map in the entertainment industry, there was a football scholarship to North Texas. Austin played for the Mean Green for two seasons before leaving school. He may not have lasted long on the gridiron, but his athletic ability and toughness were hallmarks of his pro wrestling career, one that many industry insiders consider the greatest and most influential in the history of sports entertainment.

Reynolds was a heavily recruited high school star in Florida, and he chose to go to Florida State, where his roommate was Lee Corso. Though he had hoped to pursue a professional career, multiple knee injuries derailed his plans. Reynolds never planned on being a movie star, instead having an interest in police work, but he eventually got into acting. The rest, as they say, is history. While he had one of the most fascinating careers in Hollywood history, sports fans will always wonder about what could have been. 

On two separate occasions, the rap mogul (real name: Percy Miller) got his name in the press for being in NBA training camps, with Charlotte in 1998 and Toronto in 1999. He also played in the Continental Basketball Association for the Fort Wayne Fury and the International Basketball League for the San Diego Stingrays. While there was plenty of publicity surrounding his hoop dreams, there was also debate about whether or not he belonged anywhere near the pro game. 

While his accolades as an actor are considerable, Jones was also a standout athlete. He played guard on the 1968 Harvard football team, was nominated as a first-team All-Ivy selection and took part in arguably the most famous game in Ivy League history, a 29-29 tie that saw the Crimson rally with 16 points in the game's final moments. "The Fugitive" star spoke about the game in the documentary film "Harvard Beats Yale 29-29."