Dwayne Johnson Played College Football With Some Very Big Names
Prior to becoming a 10-time World Champion in WWE, a Hollywood megastar, having a show made about his life, and a massive success story all-round, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson played football at the University of Miami. Johnson played defensive tackle for the Miami Hurricanes, the same position he had played in high school; Johnson attended Freedom High School in Bethlehem Township, Pennsylvania, which is where he first truly made his name in the football world.
However, despite playing for the Hurricanes, Johnson went undrafted in the National Football League's 1995 draft. Johnson's football career would not last much longer, as the future WrestleMania headliner only continued playing for about another year, making his way to the Canadian Football League. While in the CFL for less than a year, Johnson received the opportunity to play for the Calgary Stampeders.
Although he never made it in the NFL, Johnson was part of the 1991 National Champions alongside two impressive names.
The Rock played alongside Pro Football Hall of Famer
While playing for the Miami Hurricanes, Dwayne Johnson had the opportunity to play alongside Warren Sapp and for Ed Orgeron, with Sapp eventually becoming a star in the NFL. Sapp played 13 years in the league as a defensive tackle, nine of which he spent as a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers; he spent the other four as a member the Raiders, then located in Oakland, California. Sapp went on to win a Super bowl on the Buccaneers in 2002, defeating the Raiders.
Orgeron was the defensive line coach when the Hurricanes won the National Title in 1991 and he had specifically recruited Johnson for the team, according to ESPN. Off-field issues led to his departure from the Hurricanes, though he returned to coaching in the mid '90s and most recently served as head coach for Louisiana State University.
Johnson's cousin, Roman Reigns, also tried his hand in football, playing at Georgia Tech. Like Johnson, Reigns also played alongside an NFL superstar in his own right, sharing the field with Calvin Johnson.