List of American professional sports figures who held elective office
This is a list of notable American sports figures who served at the state or national level, or in major city offices. It only includes those who were successful in their election to office, not those who were defeated (such as Richard Petty).
Athlete | Athletic background | Political background |
---|---|---|
Dave Albritton | Track and Field: 1936 Olympic high jump medal winner | Ohio House of Representatives for six terms. |
Dave Bing | Basketball: Hall of Fame shooting guard at Syracuse University and three NBA teams, most notably the Detroit Pistons | Elected to complete the unexpired term of Kwame Kilpatrick as Mayor of Detroit in 2009, and elected to a full term later that year. |
Bill Bradley | Basketball: Hall of Fame small forward at Princeton University, 1964 Olympic gold medal team, and the New York Knicks. One of only two players, along with Manu Ginóbili, to have won an Olympic gold medal, a first-tier European club championship, and an NBA title. | U.S. senator from New Jersey, 1979–97. |
Jim Bunning | Baseball: Player with the Detroit Tigers, Phillies, Pirates, and the Dodgers | Member of U.S. House of Representatives from Kentucky's 4th District, 1987–99; U.S. Senator from Kentucky, 1999–2011. |
Ben Nighthorse Campbell | Judo: Captain of the US team at the 1964 Summer Olympics | Represented Colorado in the US House of Representatives 1987–93 and US Senate 1993–2005 |
Terry Dehere | Basketball: Played for Seton Hall University, 1989–93 and for the Los Angeles Clippers, Sacramento Kings, and Vancouver Grizzlies, 1993–99 | Jersey City Council, 2001–07. Currently serves on the Jersey City Board of Education since 2007. |
LaVern Dilweg | Football: Played for Green Bay Packers, 1927-1934 | U.S. House of Representatives
from Wisconsin's 8th district, 1943-1945 |
Fob James | Football: All-American halfback for Auburn University, 1952 – 1955 | Governor of Alabama, 1979–83 and 1995–99. |
Kevin Johnson | Basketball: Played in college at California, and then in the NBA for the Cleveland Cavaliers and most notably the Phoenix Suns. | Mayor of Sacramento, 2008–present. |
Walter Johnson | Baseball: Hall of Fame pitcher for the Washington Senators 1907–27 | Montgomery County, Maryland Board of Commissioners 1938; unsuccessful Republican candidate for U.S. House of Representatives from Maryland's 6th congressional district in 1940 |
Hayes Jones | Running: Winner of 110 m hurdles at the 1964 Summer Olympics. | Michigan State Representative in 2006. |
Jack Kemp | Football: Played quarterback for the Buffalo Bills, 1962–69 | Nine-term Congressman from Western New York, 1971–89; Housing Secretary in the George H. W. Bush administration; and was the GOP nominee for Vice President in 1996. |
Steve Largent | Football: Hall of Fame wide receiver for the Seattle Seahawks, 1976–89 | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Oklahoma, 1995–2003. |
Don Lash | Running: A long-distance runner who won 12 national titles between 1934 and 1940, including seven consecutive men's national cross-country championships, and who set a world's record for the two-mile run in 1936 | He was elected to five terms (1973–82) as a Republican member of the Indiana State House of Representatives. |
Bob Mathias | Track and Field: Decathlon winner at the Summer Olympics in both 1948 and 1952 | Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from the northern San Joaquin Valley of California, 1967–75 |
Tom McMillen | Basketball: Played for the University of Maryland and the Buffalo Braves, New York Knicks, Atlanta Hawks, and Washington Bullets | Democratic U.S. Congressman who represented Maryland's 4th congressional district, 1987–93. |
Ralph Metcalfe | Running: Medal winner at the 1932 and 1936 Summer Olympics | Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives for Illinois's 1st congressional district, 1971–78. |
Jack Mildren | Football: Quarterback at the University of Oklahoma and with the Baltimore Colts and New England Patriots | Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma, 1991–95 |
Wilmer Mizell | Baseball: Pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals, Pittsburgh Pirates, and New York Mets, 1952–62. | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from North Carolina's 5th congressional district, 1969–75. |
Tom Osborne | Head football coach for the University of Nebraska, 1973–97 and currently the athletic director at the university | Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives for Nebraska's 3rd congressional district, 2001–07. |
Alan Page | Football: Played for University of Notre Dame and the Minnesota Vikings | Associate Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court, 1993–2015 |
Ed Rutkowski | Wide receiver and later quarterback for the Buffalo Bills of the American Football League, 1963–68 | County executive of Erie County, New York, 1979–87, and ran New York State's parks department, 1995–2006. |
Jim Ryun | Running: The last American to hold the world record in the mile run (along with many other track records) and participated in the 1964, 1968, and 1972 Summer Olympics | Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives for Kansas's 2nd congressional district, 1996–2007. |
Heath Shuler | Football: Played for University of Tennessee and the New Orleans Saints and Oakland Raiders | Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives for North Carolina's 11th congressional district, 2007–13 |
Jesse Ventura | Professional wrestler of the American Wrestling Association and the World Wrestling Federation | Governor of Minnesota, 1999–2003. |
J. C. Watts | Football: Played for University of Oklahoma and the Ottawa Rough Riders | Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives for Oklahoma's 4th congressional district, 1995–2003. |
Frank White | Major League Baseball: World Series champion who played for the Kansas City Royals for 18 years. | Democratic member of the Jackson County Legislature, first elected in 2014. Elected Jackson County Executive in 2016. |
Jon Runyan | Football: Offensive tackle for University of Michigan, and in the NFL for the Tennessee Titans (1996–99), Philadelphia Eagles (2000–08), and San Diego Chargers (2009) | Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives for New Jersey's 3rd congressional district, 2011–15. |
Mo Udall | Basketball: Played for the Denver Nuggets for one year | Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives for Arizona's 2nd congressional district, 1961–1991. |
Dwayne Woodruff | Cornerback with the Pittsburgh Steelers (1979-1990) | Judge in the Court of Common Pleas in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, 2005 - present. |
Other offices
Byron White, who played for NFL-teams Detroit Lions and Pittsburgh Steelers during 1938 and 1941, served as United States Deputy Attorney General under president John F. Kennedy and was nominated by him to serve as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.
See also
- List of sportspeople who served or are serving in political office (international list)
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