20 Actors You Didn't Know Were Sports Stars (2024)

Hugh Jackman, the Australian actor best-known for his role as Wolverine in the X-Men series, is one fit dude. The guy is approaching 50 years old and showing no signs of slowing down, made apparent by what he can do on a Peloton.

Channing Tatum’s story is legendary — he was discovered while stripping, and much of Magic Mike was based on Tatum’s own life. Now he’s a successful Hollywood actor known for his chiseled body and incredible dance moves.

But it wasn’t just stripping that got Tatum those abs. He was also a great football player, a stand-out in high school and was recruited to play for Wake Forest University. However, he admitted to the Chicago Tribune back in 2012 that because his grades were terrible, his scholarship offer was rescinded, and he transferred to Glenville State College on another football scholarship. He left after one year to pursue... other things.

Somehow, it doesn't surprise us that Reynolds held his own on the field. And if you've seen Reynold's most famous sports movie, you can probably already guess which sport.

Reynolds was a star running back at Florida State and was later inducted into the Seminoles athletic hall of fame.

Jamie Foxx is an actor, comedian, former Men’s Health cover guy, and even dabbles in music. He’s got a lot of talents, to say the least. But when he was a kid, there was only one thing on his mind — and it was no where close to a screen or a stage.

Weathers, who played Apollo Creed in the Rocky series, went pro before calling it quits. But, no, it wasn't for boxing.

Weathers played linebacker for San Diego state and then for the Oakland Raiders under coach John Madden in 1970. He retired after only eight games, looking to focus on acting. Now here’s a guy who made a great career choice.

Josh Duhamel is another one of those Hollywood actors who has aged like a bottle of fine wine. Part of his secret to looking and feeling good as he gets older, of course, includes working out regularly.

Turns out, Duhamel has always taken fitness very seriously. He was a college quarterback for Minot State University in North Dakota. Not only was he good enough to play college football, he was a standout — Minot State inducted him into its hall of fame a few years ago.

Terry Crews. He's that really, really intense actor from Brooklyn Nine-Nine that never ceases to put a smile on our faces.

Back in the day, however, Crews was a formidable force on the gridiron, playing defensive end and linebacker in the NFL for the Washington Redskins, San Diego Chargers and the Los Angeles Rams. We can only imagine how terrifying it was to run into him on the field.

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson will be the first one to tell you to that absolutely nothing good in life comes without a hell of a lot of hard work. If he isn’t filming, promoting, or creating a game show, he’s working out. And being a dad. He is the busiest man in Hollywood.

The Rock also has a long athletic history, which speaks to why he’s such a beast in the gym. Before he became an actor, Johnson had aspirations to be a professional football player. He was good enough to get a full-ride scholarship to the University of Miami to play football, and won a national championship with the team. However, he never made the NFL cut.

We may never have seen Forest Whitaker as Idi Amin (his Oscar-winning role) had a back injury in college not sidelined him from his main sport.

Whitaker wasn’t just a fictional football player in Fast Times at Ridgemont High. He gained a football scholarship to California State Polytechnic University in Pomona. After his injury, he turned to the arts.

Tommy Lee Jones is one of those older guys that you just don’t want to mess with. The Academy Award winner is one of the most successful actors in Hollywood. But his talents go far beyond the big screen.