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. All represented the United States, except for Colin Ridgway who represented Australia in 1956, Lawrence Okoye who represented Great Britain in 2012 and Jahvid Best who represented Saint Lucia in 2016. American football has only been played once in 1932[1] (though a series demonstration college games were played in 1904).[2]

Players

Summer Olympics

Player NFL Team Sport Olympic Year Gold Silver Bronze Total
Jim Thorpe[3] Canton Bulldogs[4] Athletics 1912 2 0 0 2
Ollie Matson Chicago Cardinals Athletics 1952 0 1 1 2
Jack Riley Boston Redskins Wrestling 1932 0 1 0 1
Bob Hayes Dallas Cowboys Athletics 1964 2 0 0 2
Sam Francis Philadelphia Eagles[5] Athletics 1936 0 0 0 0
Ron Brown Los Angeles Rams Athletics 1984 1 0 0 1
Stone Johnson Kansas City Chiefs[6] Athletics 1960 0 0 0 0
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 Athletics 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 Athletics 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[7] Athletics 1960 0 1 0 1
Clyde Scott Philadelphia Eagles Athletics 1948 0 1 0 1
Tommie Smith Cincinnati Bengals[7] 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[8] Tampa Bay Buccaneers Athletics 2012 0 0 0 0
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[9] Athletics 1920/1924 0 0 0 0
Harold Muller Los Angeles Buccaneers Athletics 1920 0 1 0 1
Lawrence Okoye New York Jets[10] Athletics 2012 0 0 0 0
Marquise Goodwin Buffalo Bills Athletics 2012 0 0 0 0
Perry Baker Philadelphia Eagles Rugby sevens 2016 0 0 0 0
Nate Ebner New England Patriots Rugby sevens 2016 0 0 0 0
Carlin Isles Detroit Lions Rugby sevens 2016 0 0 0 0
Jahvid Best Detroit Lions Athletics 2016 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 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. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-04-10. 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. ↑ As part of the American Professional Football Association
  5. ↑ His rights were eventually traded to the Chicago Bears
  6. ↑ Johnson did not play in regular season, as he died from a fractured cervical vertebrae suffered in a preseason game.
  7. 1 2 These teams were part of the American Football League at the time
  8. ↑ "Patriots sign Olympic medalist Jeff Demps to a contract –". Usatoday.com. 2012-08-18. Retrieved 2012-08-23.
  9. ↑ As part of the American Professional Football Association
  10. ↑ http://www.nj.com/jets/index.ssf/2015/11/meet_lawrence_okoye_former_british_olympian_signed.html
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