List of National Football League Olympians


Jim Thorpe participating in the decathlon at the 1912 Summer Olympics (top) and punting (bottom)

The following is a list of National Football League players that have participated in the Olympic Games, with the NFL team that they played for (the team closest to the time of the player's Olympic participation), the sport that they participated in, and their medal count. American football has only been played once in 1932[1] (though a demonstration game was played in 1904).[2]

Players

Summer Olympics

Player NFL Team Sport Olympic Year Gold Silver Bronze Total
Jim Thorpe[3] N/A[4] Pentathlon/Decathlon 1912 2 0 0 2
Dudley DeGroot N/A[5] Rugby union 1924 1 0 0 1
Ollie Matson Chicago Cardinals Athletics 1952 0 1 1 2
Jack Riley Washington Redskins Wrestling 1932 0 1 0 1
Bob Hayes Dallas Cowboys Athletics 1964 2 0 0 2
Sam Francis Philadelphia Eagles[6] Athletics 1936 0 0 0 0
Ron Brown Los Angeles Rams Athletics 1984 1 0 0 1
Stone Johnson Kansas City Chiefs[7] Sprinting 1960 0 0 0 0
Willie Gault Chicago Bears Athletics 1980[8] 1 0 1 2
Michael Bates Seattle Seahawks Athletics 1992 0 0 1 1
Larry Burton New Orleans Saints Athletics 1972 0 0 0 0
Milt Campbell Cleveland Browns Decathlon 1952/1956 1 1 0 2
Henry Carr New York Giants Athletics 1964 2 0 0 2
Michael Carter San Francisco 49ers Athletics 1984 0 1 0 1
Glenn Davis Detroit Lions Athletics 1956/1960 3 0 0 3
Sam Graddy Denver Broncos Athletics 1984 1 1 0 2
Jim Hines Miami Dolphins Athletics 1968 2 0 0 2
Lam Jones New York Jets Athletics 1976 1 0 0 1
Glenn Morris Detroit Lions Decathlon 1936 1 0 0 1
Ray Norton San Francisco 49ers Athletics 1960 0 0 0 0
James Owens San Francisco 49ers Athletics 1976 0 0 0 0
Bob Pickens Chicago Bears Wrestling 1964 0 0 0 0
Colin Ridgway Dallas Cowboys Athletics 1956 0 0 0 0
Bo Roberson San Diego Chargers[9] Athletics 1960 0 1 0 1
Clyde Scott Philadelphia Eagles Athletics 1948 0 1 0 1
Tommie Smith Cincinnati Bengals[9] Athletics 1968 1 0 0 1
Gerald Tinker Atlanta Falcons Athletics 1972 1 0 0 1
James Jett Los Angeles Raiders Athletics 1992 1 0 0 1
Jeff Demps[10] Tampa Bay Buccaneers Athletics 2012 0 1 0 1
John Spellman Providence Steam Roller Wrestling 1924 1 0 0 1
Jim Bausch Chicago Cardinals Athletics 1932 1 0 0 1
Gene Vidal Washington Senators Decathlon 1920/1924 0 0 0 0
Harold Muller Los Angeles Buccaneers High Jump 1920 0 1 0 1
Lawrence Okoye New York Jets[11] Discus throw 2012 0 0 0 0
Marquise Goodwin Buffalo Bills Long Jump 2012 0 0 0 0

Winter Olympics

Player NFL Team Sport Olympic Year Gold Silver Bronze Total
Herschel Walker Philadelphia Eagles Bobsledding 1992 0 0 0 0
Jeremy Bloom[12] Philadelphia Eagles Skiing 2002/2006 0 0 0 0

References

  1. ↑ The Games of the Xth Olympiad Los Angeles 1932 (PDF). Xth Olympiade Committee of the Games of Los Angeles, U.S.A. 1932. 1933. pp. 739–743. Retrieved 2009-09-14.
  2. ↑ "College Football in The Olympics, 1904". Mmbolding.com. Retrieved 2012-08-05.
  3. ↑ "Jim THORPE | Olympic Athlete | Stockholm 1912". Olympic.org. Retrieved 2012-08-05.
  4. ↑ Took place before the founding of the NFL (later became player for Canton Bulldogs)
  5. ↑ Played college football until 1944, when he joined the Washington Redskins
  6. ↑ His rights were eventually traded to the Chicago Bears
  7. ↑ Johnson did not play, as he died from a fractured cervical vertebrae
  8. ↑ The 1980 Summer Olympics was boycotted, leading to the Boycott Games
  9. 1 2 These teams were part of the American Football League at the time
  10. ↑ "Patriots sign Olympic medalist Jeff Demps to a contract –". Usatoday.com. 2012-08-18. Retrieved 2012-08-23.
  11. ↑ http://www.nj.com/jets/index.ssf/2015/11/meet_lawrence_okoye_former_british_olympian_signed.html
  12. ↑ "10 Former Olympians: Where Are They Now? - Yahoo! News". News.yahoo.com. 2012-08-01. Retrieved 2012-08-05.
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