The following is a list of gridiron football players who became professional wrestlers. [1] [2] [3] People may appear on the list multiple times if they were signed to more than one league. For example, Clem Turner appears on the list five times because he was in five different leagues. Also, if someone's most common ring name is different than their real name, the ring name is listed in parentheses.
Note: If people were in more than one division, they are only listed at the highest division.
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play their home games at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, a suburb northwest of Phoenix.
Clemon Daniels Jr. was an American professional football halfback who played in the American Football League (AFL) and the National Football League (NFL).
Jon Heidenreich is an American retired professional wrestler, better known simply as Heidenreich. He is best known for his tenure with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) on its SmackDown brand where he was a one time Tag Team Champion with Road Warrior Animal as a part of the 2005 version of the Legion of Doom.
Eugene Alan Snisky is an American professional wrestler and actor, better known by his ring name Gene Snitsky, who is best known for his time with World Wrestling Entertainment. He played college football at the University of Missouri and was on the pre-season roster in 1995 for the Birmingham Barracudas of the Canadian Football League.
Sean Michael Coulthard, better known by his ring name Michael Cole, is an American professional wrestling commentator and journalist. He is currently signed to WWE, where he serves as the play-by-play commentator for the Raw brand and as the vice president of announcing since 2020.
Ronald Simmons is an American retired professional wrestler and football player. He is best known for his tenures in WWE and World Championship Wrestling (WCW). Prior to becoming a professional wrestler, Simmons played football as a defensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL), Canadian Football League (CFL) and United States Football League (USFL) for four seasons during the 1980s.
DeAngelo Chondon Williams is an American professional wrestler and former football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Memphis Tigers, earning first-team All-American honors in 2005. He was selected by the Carolina Panthers in the first round of the 2006 NFL draft. He starred in a dual role in Carolina alongside Jonathan Stewart, until Williams' release in the 2014 offseason. He then played for the Pittsburgh Steelers from 2015 to 2016.
John William Harbaugh is an American football coach who is the head coach for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). Previously, he coached the defensive backs for the Philadelphia Eagles and served as the Eagles special teams coach for nine years. Harbaugh and his younger brother, former San Francisco 49ers and current Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh, are the first pair of brothers in NFL history to serve as head coaches. Jack Harbaugh, Jim and John's father, served 45 years as a college defensive coach, an assistant coach, and a running backs coach. John and the Ravens beat his brother, Jim, and the 49ers at Super Bowl XLVII in New Orleans on February 3, 2013, by a score of 34–31.
James Richard Laurinaitis is an American football coach and former player. He currently serves as the linebackers coach at the Ohio State University. He played as a linebacker for the St. Louis Rams and New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes, where he was a three-time consensus All-American and won numerous awards. He was selected by the Rams in the second round of the 2009 NFL draft.
Ronald K. Mikolajczyk is a former professional American football offensive tackle and retired professional wrestler. He attended the University of Tampa, graduating in 1971.
Patrick Justin McAfee is an American sports analyst, professional wrestling color commentator, as well as a former football punter, and kickoff specialist. McAfee is an analyst on ESPN's College GameDay, a television program covering college football. He also hosts The Pat McAfee Show live on YouTube. The show is also licensed across the ESPN platforms. He is also currently signed with WWE as the color commentator for Monday Night Raw, as well as an occasional wrestler.
Joseph Vincent Flacco is an American football quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Delaware after transferring from Pittsburgh and was selected by the Baltimore Ravens in the first round of the 2008 NFL draft. Flacco has also played for the Denver Broncos, New York Jets, and Cleveland Browns.
Gosder Cherilus is a former American football offensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Boston College, and was selected by the Detroit Lions 17th overall in the 2008 NFL Draft. Cherilus also played for the Indianapolis Colts and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The 1987 San Diego Chargers was the franchise's 18th season in the National Football League (NFL), and the 28th overall. The team improved on their 4–12 record in 1986, finishing 8–7 but missing the playoffs. The strike of 1987 reduced the regular season schedule from sixteen to fifteen games. The Chargers started the season 8–1, with victories over eventual division winners Indianapolis and Cleveland, before collapsing to lose their final six games of the season, narrowly missing the playoffs. All but one of their final six losses came to teams that made the postseason in 1987.
Gary Michael Barnidge is an American former professional football player who was a tight end in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Carolina Panthers in the fifth round of the 2008 NFL draft. He played college football for the Louisville Cardinals. He also played in the NFL for the Cleveland Browns.
Robert Gronkowski is an American former football tight end who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons. Nicknamed "Gronk", Gronkowski played nine seasons for the New England Patriots, then played his final two seasons for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Regarded as one of the greatest tight ends of all time, he is a four-time Super Bowl champion, a five-time Pro Bowl selection, a four-time first-team All-Pro selection, and was selected to the NFL 2010s All-Decade Team and NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team.
Nick Allegretti is an American football guard for the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Illinois and was selected by the Kansas City Chiefs in the seventh round of the 2019 NFL draft. Allegretti won Super Bowls LIV, LVII, and LVIII during his tenure with the Chiefs.
Joe O'Brien is an American football coach and former lineman. He is the associate head coach and defensive coordinator for Montana State University–Northern, positions he has held since 2022. He also played in the WLAF, AFL, and the NFL from 1995 to 1998. He later went on to coach at the collegiate level.
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