Self-proclaimed “hood billionaire” and former correctional officer Rick Ross has been turning heads with his new workout regimen. It could mean a much healthier lifestyle as the Miami, Florida native gears up for his next album.
But before his Hip-Hop days, the capo of Maybach Music Group was deep in the sports world. And he’s just one of many former athletes to cash in their sporting dreams for a different type of celebrity status.
Here, we countdown 13 former jocks to went on to earn fame in other arenas.
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Photo: Instagram
Before he was 2 Chainz of even Tity Boi of Playaz Circle, he was Tauheed Epps—a shooting guard for North Clayton High in College Park, Georgia. 2 Chainz went on to briefly play at Alabama State for one season.
Nelly reportedly earned MVP Honors in the St. Louis Amateur Baseball Association and was eventually courted by his hometown St. Louis Cardinals as well as the Pittsburgh Pirates.
photo: WENN
Before he caught the acting bug, Forest Whitaker entered the University of Southern California on a football scholarship. After majoring in music, Whitaker’s career path definitely took a turn.
photo: WENN
The Maybach Music Group ties to sports run deep, as Stalley had a run at the University of Michigan sidelined by injuries. He eventually located to Long Island University before permanently trading in his jersey for a microphone.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson was a highly recruited high school football player in Pennsylvania. In 1991, he accepted a scholarship to the University of Miami where he appeared in 39 games with a total of 77 tackles and 4.25 sacks.
photo: WENN
Damn, damn, damn, James. While he’s most known for iconic roles like James Evans on Good Times and Cleo McDowell in Coming To America, John Amos logged time on the Colorado State University football team, was a former Golden Gloves boxer and was a minor league football player.
He told Katie Couric it was a “silly thing,” but you can see how action star Jason Statham pulls off his stunts thanks to 10 years on the British Diving team.
Wale showed some talent as a running back during stints at Robert Morris College, Virginia State University, and Bowie State University on football scholarships. But eventually, music overshadowed his desire for NFL dreams.
Joel McHale cracks jokes on the sitcom Community and on E! as the host of Talk Soup. But the actor used to be a walk on with the University of Washington’s football team.
Terry Crews has renaissance man status. The Flint, Michigan native played on six different NFL teams in seven years, and in between getting cut, he honed both his acting and painting skills.
photo: WENN
If you’ve ever wondered why Duane Martin looked halfway decent as a basketball player in the cult film Above The Rim, it’s because he had legit hoop skills. In 1989, Martin signed a one-year contract with the New York Knicks, but was cut after three months.
photo: WENN
Suge Knight earned a reputation as the muscle of Death Row Records. Given that he used to push around grown men during his limited run with the NFL’s Los Angeles Rams before being cut, it’s not hard to see how Knight became such an imposing figure.
Everyone has jokes about Rick Ross’ pre-Rap career as a correctional officer. But before life as a CO, Ross spent a year as a scholarship player on the Albany State University football team.
