Hollywood humbled this NFL athlete. Terry Crews said he left pro football with a cocky attitude as if the industry owed him a movie career. Instead, he found his new competition running circles around him. Other actors had been taking drama classes for years while he was blocking plays and tackling dudes. From a full ride to play football at Western Michigan University to being drafted in 1991 by the Los Angeles Rams, Crews’ life was all about football. In 1996 he flipped it to film.
He hit it big with Everybody Hates Chris and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, and, latest, Brooklyn Nine-Nine on television. He’s also celebrated for his advocacy toward women and against sexism. Staying athletic, Crews trains in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. It gives him the physique to be the body of Old Spice, “The man your man could smell like.”
John Amos
John Amos started out as a pretty decent ballplayer. He had the seeds of a promising career in college and also got in with some minor football leagues. Sadly, they have since fallen out of existence. Still, that familiar-looking face found its way into our TV sets.
Though the athletic career began to slow down, he, fortunately, found his calling in acting. The actor starred in the sitcom "Good Times." He even achieved stardom with his famous catchphrase, “Dy-no-mite! The actor also appeared in "Roots."
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson
A WWF crowd favorite, The Rock, as he was known in the pro wrestling circuit, won over audiences worldwide. As a six-foot-five, 260-pound muscleman, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson was courted by Hollywood until he broke onto the silver screen with The Mummy Returns. His brawn was also featured in the long-running, super-lucrative franchise, The Fast and the Furious, yet he’s more than just muscle—he’s got the moves.
Johnson almost hit an NFL career until injuries bumped him off the University of Miami’s starting lineup, but not before winning a national championship with the Hurricanes in 1991. Now, enjoying his second professional career in the show biz, he’s swimming in prosperity as the world’s top-earning movie star.
Lisa Kudrow
Lisa Kudrow? Really? The woman behind Smelly Cat was blazing up tennis courts before she landed on Friends. Once again, funny women and tennis courts. We're starting to wonder if there are some closet comedians in the women's tennis league right now.
During her time at Taft High School in Los Angeles (when she was a brunette), Kudrow was playing varsity level tennis. To this day, she sometimes hits the courts to whack around a few balls with friends and family.
Will Ferrell
Will Ferrell is a true sports fan. You would know that simply by watching every single one of his movies. From a professional ice-skater in Blades of Glory to a Nascar racer in Talladega Nights, a basketball player in Semi-Pro, and a dad soccer coach in Kicking and Screaming, it seems as if Will Ferrel may have been gunning for a different career all these years.
With that said, it's not surprising that Ferell was an avid soccer player throughout high school. The actor now even owns the soccer team, Los Angeles FC. He may not have become a professional athlete, but he certainly tried to be in his movies.