You never know where the path in life may lead you. Some of the men on this list had dreams of playing professional sports, but injuries and other circumstances forced them pursue other careers. In the end, none of them gave up, and they all persevered to become respectable entertainers in the industry.
Number Ten: Mark Harmon. Sport: Football. School: University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Harmon was once the quarterback for UCLA. The talented actor was the starting quarterback for the Bruins, where he led the team to an impressive 17-5 record (two seasons).
Number Nine: Denzel Washington. Sport: Basketball. School: Fordham University. The two-time Academy Award winner once played basketball at Fordham University in the 1970s. The icon managed to play two seasons at the university, and his coach was former NBA head coach P.J. Carlesimo.
Number Eight: Joel McHale. Sport: Football. School: University of Washington. The comedian initially attended UW in order to be on the rowing team, but he decided to play football instead. He played two seasons as a tight end for the Huskies.
Number Seven: Josh Duhamel. Sport: Football. School: Minot State University. Duhamel was a former quarterback at Minot State in North Dakota. Although he didn’t graduate when he first attended the school, he later went back to Minot State and received his degree in 2005.
Number Six: Rick Ross. Sport: Football. School: Albany State University. Rick Ross, also known as “The Boss,” was once a football player at Albany State. The Miami rapper attended the school on a football scholarship.
Number Five: Jon Stewart. Sport: Soccer. School: College of William & Mary. Before making a name for himself in the entertainment world, Stewart played collegiate soccer at William & Mary. He graduated from the school in 1984, where he majored in psychology.
Number Four: Burt Reynolds. Sport: Football. School: Florida State University. The legendary actor attended Florida State on a football scholarship, where he played halfback. An injury cut his football career short, and so the actor decided to explore other career options.
Number Three: 2 Chainz. Sport: Basketball. School: Alabama State University. 2 Chainz received a scholarship to the university, but he only played one season at Alabama State. In his best game, he scored 14 points and grabbed seven rebounds.
Number Two: Steve Carell. Sport: Hockey. School: Denison University. Before becoming a comedian/actor, Carell was a goalie in college. He ultimately opted not to pursue the sport professionally, stating hockey was more of a sport he played for fun.
Number One: Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Sport: Football. School: University of Miami. The former WWE superstar and actor won a National Championship as a member of the 1991 football team. He played professionally for the Canadian Football League, but he was later cut in 1995.