Staff Blog: Famous Faces That Ran Track
Here are some famous faces that competed in track and field before they made a name for themselves elsewhere.
Track and field breeds some of the most impressive and fastest athletes of all-time. While not all may not continue in the sport, there are plenty who leave behind a mark while competing. Curious, I went on a hunt for famous faces that competed in track and field before they made a name for themselves in the NFL, Hollywood and other industries.
Terry Bradshaw, former quarterback with the Pittsburgh Steelers / analyst on fox NFL Sunday
When he was a senior at Woodlawn High in Shreveport, La., Bradshaw set a national javelin record with a throw of 243 feet 7 inches at a meet in his hometown before earning a football scholarship to Louisiana State University
Alice Cooper (Vincent Furnier), musician
The famous rockstar was a four-year letterman in track and field during his high school days at Lutheran High School Westland in Michigan.
Luke Wilson, actor
A sub 2:00 half-miler, the “Anchorman” actor specialized in the 400m and 800m at St. Mark’s School of Texas.
Nicholas Sparks, author
Millions of women covet his bestselling novels, but before his writing career took off, Sparks was an athlete at the University of Notre Dame, which he attended on a full track and field scholarship. In his freshman year, his team set a record for the 4 x 800m relay.
Robin Williams, actor
His Redwood High School classmates voted him “least likely to succeed,” but this funny man earned athletic marks as a 1:58 half-miler and a member on the 3:20 mile relay team.