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Actors Who Could Have Been an Athlete
Kurt Russell
who
was a top star for Disney studios in the '70s and went onto star in
films
like "Big Trouble in Little China" and "Miracle,"
was also an extremely talented
baseball player. He was signed by the California Angels in 1971, and as
a second
baseman played for four of the Angels' minor league affiliates, becoming
a league
All-Star in his first year. In 1973 he led the Texas League in hitting
with a .563 batting
average in his first 16 at bats and was said to be a shoe-in for the
majors. Unfortunately,
a torn rotator cuff took him out of the game and the rest is history.
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Lee Majors
In the starring role on the 1970s "The Six Million Dollar
Man," television series,
Lee Majors was one of the hottest celebs around. He also starred in
the "Fall Guy"
during the '80s, and "
Big
Valley
" back in the '60s. But he originally planned on a career
in the NFL, attending
Indiana
University
on a football scholarship. A back injury nixed
that idea, but he transferred to
Eastern
Kentucky
University
after his back healed and
played football there where he was offered a tryout with the St. Louis
Cardinals during
his final year. The now 76-year-old decided to turn it
down because he didn't feel
he was physically up to the challenge and decided to pursue acting
instead
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Taylor Kitsch
Canadian
actor best known for his role as Tim Riggins in
"Friday Night Lights," grew up loving hockey - as so many
from the Great
White North do. The 33-year-old played junior ice hockey for the
Langley
Hornets in the British Columbia Hockey League, but he suffered a
career-ending
knee injury that forced him to consider another route.
Taylor
moved to
New York
to
pursue modeling with IMG and began studying acting which led him to
where he is today.
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Ed O'Neill
"Modern Family" star Ed O'Neill may be hard to picture as a star
athlete - unless
you happen to remember that in his famous role as Al Bundy on the TV
show
"Married...With Children," his character played high school
football. The
Emmy and Golden Globe-nominated actor attended
Ohio
University
on a football
scholarship and later transferred to
Youngstown
State
where he was a defensive lineman.
In 1969, O' Neill was signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers but was cut
during training camp.
He may have been disappointed at the time, but looking back it's
probably easier
to see that most things happen for a reason.
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Dean
Cain
Dean Cain, best known for playing Superman on the television series
"Lois & Clark"
actually was an NFL player, if only for a very short time. The actor
accepted an athletic
scholarship to
Princeton
University
and played safety for the football team. He set an
NCAA Division 1-AA record for the most interceptions in a season with
12, and
was signed by the Buffalo Bills immediately after graduation in 1988.
After
suffering a knee injury during training camp, his football career came
to a
quick end and the "Smallville" actor ultimately took a
different path to stardom.
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Jason Statham
Before becoming a successful action star, Jason Statham, best known for his
roles in
Guy Ritchie's crime films, was a competitive diver. He participated as a
member
of the British National Diving Squad for 12 years and even placed 12th
in the world
for diving in 1992. He did a little modeling for a while too, but as
diving and modeling
weren't paying the bills, he followed in his dad's footsteps by hustling
on the streets
of
London
. It was this "career" that actually helped him land his
debut role as a
conman in Ritchie's "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels."
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George Clooney
It's hard to imagine George Clooney not being on the big screen - a number
of his films definitely wouldn't have been the same without him, like
"O, Brother
Where Art Thou," "Ocean's Eleven," and "The
Descendants," but that came very close
to happening. The Oscar-winning actor was a star baseball player in
high school and was
even asked to try out for the Cincinnati Reds in 1977. Obviously it
wasn't meant to be
as he never did get signed - lucky for the film industry and his
countless fans.
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Burt
Reynolds
Legendary actor Burt Reynolds was an all-star high school fullback and
earned a football
scholarship to
Florida
State
University
. He played running back for the Gators in 1954, and
drew the attention of the Baltimore Colts who reserved a spot for him in
their training program
while awaiting his graduation. Unfortunately, in the middle of the
season he was involved
in a bad car accident that worsened a prior injury, ending his dream of
joining the NFL.
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Mark
Harmon
Before Mark Harmon was cracking cases for "NCIS," or even playing
doctor on "St. Elsewhere,
he was a starting quarterback for UCLA. In the early '70s he took the
Bruins to a 17-5 record
and helped the team upset the defending champs, the Nebraska Huskers in
his very first season.
Instead of joining the NFL, Harmon considered careers in
advertising and law, but ultimately
became an actor who spent much of his career portraying law enforcement
and medical personnel.
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Steve
Carell
Did you ever notice that former "The Office" star Steve Carell
always seemed to find a way to
squeeze in a scene of his character Michael Scott ice skating or playing
hockey? Apparently
he used to play, and quite well at that, at least in high school. After
he was cut from his college
team he decided to go in a different direction but he stills finds any
opportunity he can to play.
The "Get Smart" actor is frequently seen playing in charity
games, and on TV, whether
or not the plot really calls for it.
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M.C. Hammer
M.C. Hammer is a lifelong Oakland A's fan, and at a young age he could often
be seen
beat boxing and dancing at the stadium where the team plays baseball. He
was discovered
there at the Oakland Coliseum and joined the organization as a bat boy.
He even hung out
with execs and helped the team with a variety of tasks. He got his
nickname, "Hammer,"
because someone thought he looked like Hank Aaron who had the same
moniker.
Eventually the rapper tried out for the San Francisco Giants on the
other side of the bay,
but he didn't make the cut and fell back on his musical talents instead.
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