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Dwayne Johnson Football Career: Everything You Need to Know About The Rock's NFL Run
Dwayne Johnson’s football career, too, was short but enigmatic. Here’s everything you need to know about Johnson’s football career.
Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson had a short but illustrious career in football. Though he couldn’t make it to the NFL Draft in 1995, Johnson had a good tenure as a defense tackle player. Born on May 2, 1972, in Hayward, California, Dwayne Johnson had a wayward life initially, where he was involved in petty crimes, and his run-ins with the police made him noted in the city.
He was 17 then and was studying at Freedom High School. His fans would be surprised to know that Dwayne was arrested several times for thefts and other crimes and was even suspended from his school for fighting.
An article in the local newspaper described him as a “troubled teenager with a history of run-ins with police. But his life changed when Freedom High School’s football coach, Jody CwikCwik, saw some athletic potential in Johnson.
He recruited Johnson to his team, which turned out to be a life-changing decision for him. "My thought process started to change. That's when I started thinking about goals and what I wanted to accomplish", The Rock said once while speaking about his football career.
He continued to play football at the University of Miami and was given a full athletic scholarship by his college. He was a member of the Miami Hurricanes in 1991 which won that year’s national championship.
Former LSU Head Coach Ed Orgeron, who coached Miami from 1988-1992, said that he felt Johnson “had a chance to be an All-American during his time in Miami.
Unfortunately, an untimely injury cut short his football career, and he was turned into a substitute player from that point. He played for Miami for four years (1991-1995), appearing in 39 games with one start. During this, he recorded 77 tackles and 4.25 sacks.
Another heartbreak for Johnson came in 1995 when he went undrafted in the NFL 1995. Then he signed with the Calgary Stampeders (CFL), but injuries didn’t leave him. That was the closest Dwayne Johnson could get to playing in the NFL.
He once said that he went into depression because of the rejection he faced by the Calgary Stampeders. But he shot back, and instead of getting into football, Johnson asked his father to train him for wrestling. And the rest is history.
In 1996, he debuted at the WWE Survivor Series as Rocky Maivia. After initial hiccups in WWE, Rocky Maivia changed into The Rock, and by 1997, he was one of the hottest heels in the company.
The Rock switched to Hollywood in 2002 and made his debut with ‘The Mummy Returns’ in 2001. He starred in ‘The Scorpion King’ in 2002. After the stupendous success of the movie, he didn’t look back and took on full-time acting in 2004. Today, he is one of the highest-paid Hollywood actors and also one of the richest actors in the world.
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