Football seems to churn out more actors than most of the other American sports combined. It’s strange, too, considering this is a sport where masks are worn on the field, and faces are on TV less than other sports.
What’s particularly interesting is that the ‘80s decade saw many football players move into TV Land to become sitcom and TV drama stars.
Let’s look at some cardboard legacies of football players whose faces and names have graced the pages of TV Guide.
Fred Dryer – Rookie Card 1970 Topps
The 6-foot-6 former defensive lineman worked as a color analyst with CBS in the early ‘80s before getting hired to play the title character “Hunter,” in 1984. That show ran for seven seasons through 1990. (Interestingly, Dryer was also in contention to play Sam Malone on “Cheers,” before the role eventually went to Ted Danson.)
Dryer played college football at San Diego State with Carl Weather, who many know as Apollo Creed in the “Rocky” movies and Chubbs Peterson from “Happy Gilmore.” While Weathers played eight games with the Raiders, he never got a rookie card!
Dick Butkus – Rookie Card 1966 Philadelphia
One of the toughest Monsters of the Midway, Butkus became a comedic actor, mostly playing off of that gruff exterior. His two most successful roles on TV were as Coach Mike Katowinski on “Hang Time,” from 1998-2000, and on “My Two Dads,” where Butkus played café manager Ed Klawicki.
Butkus’ first football card was a 1966 Philadelphia card because Philadelphia had the NFL card rights. But his first Topps card wasn’t until 1969.
Alex Karras – Rookie Card 1959 Topps
The four-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle — why are all these guys from the defensive side of the ball? — was a professional wrestler before getting drafted by the Lions in 1958. He played 12 seasons and was eventually inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2020, as a Centennial Member.
Once retired, Karras started working on his acting chops, and his most famous movie role came in Mel Brooks’ “Blazing Saddles,” where he played Mongo, who was “only a pawn in the game of life.”
But most children of the ‘80s know Karras as George Papadapolis, the adoptive father of the title character, “Webster,” played by Emmanuel Lewis. (Gen-X note of interest: The actress who played Mrs. Papadapolis was Susan Clark, who was also Alex’s wife in real life!)
Ed Marinaro – Rookie Card 1974 Topps
This 6-foot-2 bruising running back — hey, an offensive guy! — was a Maxwell Award winner and three-time All-American at Cornell University. In 1971, Marinaro finished as runner-up for the Heisman Trophy to Pat Sullivan. Marinaro went on to become the first running back in NFL history to rush for 4,000 yards in his career.
Once he retired, Marinaro took some acting roles in shows like “Laverne & Shirley.” He eventually got the role of Officer Joe Coffey in one of the greatest TV dramas of the 20th century, “Hill Street Blues,” from 1981 to 1986.
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