Election Day 2010: 10 Powerful Politicians Who Used To Be Athletes
Today is an important day in America: Election Day.
Many of you have already gone out to the polls to cast your votes for your next Senator or Congressman.
Some of these people were businessmen and women, some were teachers, some were lawyers, but how many of them were actually athletes as well?
Here is a look at ten powerful US politicians that were, at one point, great athletes.
Byron White
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I'm sure some of you know who this is.
This is former Supreme Court Justice Byron White. White served on the Supreme Court from 1963 until his retirement in 1993, and was the first and only justice from the state of Colorado.
What many don't know about him, though, is that he earned his fame in college as a halfback for the University of Colorado, where he earned the nickname "Whizzer". He was a Heisman runner up and All-American during his college career, and went on to play with the Pittsburgh Pirates (now the Steelers) in 1938.
As if that wasn't enough, he was also a basketball player. And a baseball player. And a Rhodes Scholar.
Jon Runyan
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While Jon Runyan hasn't quite reached the point of 'political powerhouse', I figured that a modern touch was in order.
Runyan was an offensive tackle in the NFL for 13 years and was selected to the Pro Bowl once in 2002.
He was also an All-State center in basketball in the state of Michigan, as well as a two-time Michigan state shotput champion.
Currently, though, he is pursuing a career in politics,and is the Republican nominee for New Jersey's 3rd congressional district.
Gerald Ford
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I'm sure some of you recognize this photo.
This is a picture of former US President Gerald Ford.
Long before Ford became the 38th president of the United States, he was lighting up the gridiron as a Michigan Wolverine.
Ford was so good, in fact, that upon graduating in 1935, he received offers from the Detroit Lions and the Green Bay Packers. However, he turned down the offer to coach at Yale instead.
He then, of course, went on later to the House of Representatives (where he stayed for 25 years), moved on to the Vice Presidency in 1973, and then shortly thereafter to the Presidency.
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Dwight Eisenhower
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Everyone knows Ike.
Five star general in the US Army, 34th president of the United States, Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in World War II.
Dwight Eisenhower had quite a political career.
However, few know that Eisenhower also had quite an athletic background. He failed to make the basketball team at West Point, but was a running back and linebacker for the football team in 1912. He even tackled the legendary Jim Thorpe once upon a time.
His athletic career came to an unfortunate end, though, as he suffered a serious knee injury.
Steve Largent
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Steve Largent, as most of you know, is a NFL Hall of Fame wide receiver who played all 12 years of his career with the Seattle Seahawks.
Seven time Pro Bowl selection, First-team All Pro, 1980s All-Decade Team, 1988 Walter Payton Man of the Year Award, the list goes on and on.
A few years after retiring, Largent went on to a political career when he succeeded Jim Inhofe as the Congressman for the 1st district in Oklahoma, where he served until 2002.
Jack Kemp
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Jack Kemp is a big part of the long legacy of very intelligent and successful NFL quarterbacks.
In college, Kemp was a record-setting Javelin hurler in addition to being defensive back, quarterback, place kicker, and punter on the Occidental football team.
He then went on to be a professional quarterback for 13 years, playing in the NFL, CFL, and AFL, where he served as the captain of both the San Diego Chargers and Buffalo Bills, and was named the AFL MVP in 1965.
He later went on to serve in Congress from 1971 to 1989 when he ran for President. He lost the election, but was retained as a member of the cabinet of president George H.W. Bush.
Bill Bradley
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Many people probably remember Bill Bradley just as much for his fantastic basketball career at Princeton as well as for the New York Knicks.
After his fantastic college career, Bradley played for 10 years for the New York Knicks, where he was named an NBA All-Star in 1973.
His number (24) has been retired by the Knicks.
After his basketball career, Bradley went on to serve in the US Senate until 2000, when he ran against Al Gore for the Democratic nomination.
J.C. Watts
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J.C. Watts succeeded Dave McCurdy in 1995 as the representative for the 4th congressional district of Oklahoma, where he served until 2002 when he retired.
J.C. Watts is probably more remembered, though, for his football career. Watts was named MVP of the Orange Bowl twice with the Oklahoma Sooners, and went on to play in the CFL with the Toronto Argonauts and Ottawa Roughriders for six years. He was originally drafted by the New York Jets, but was determined not to be moved out of the quarterback role.
Jim Bunning
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Jim Bunning has been serving in Congress for the last 23 years. He served in the House of Representatives from 1987 to 1999 as Kentucky's 4th district representative, and has been in the Senate since 1999.
However, before his successful political career, Bunning was a very talented baseball player.
Bunning pitched for 17 years in the MLB with the Detroit Tigers, Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Los Angeles Dodgers.
Upon his retirement, Bunning held the second highest strikeout total in Major League history. He pitched a perfect game against the New York Mets in 1964, and is now a member of the MLB Hall of Fame.
Jesse Ventura
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The jokes about Jesse Ventura and his political career continue today, especially in light of the political career that Arnold Schwarzenegger has enjoyed.
Ventura was the 38th governor of Minnesota, serving from 1999 until 2003.
He was also, as most of you know, a professional wrestler.
Referred to as Jesse 'The Body' Ventura, Ventura wrestled professionally from 1975 until 1986, and is to this day one of the most recognizable characters in the history of professional wrestling.
Questions? Comments? Concerns?
11 of 11I'm always open to comments.
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