Much is made of The Rock's background in college football, but far fewer people realise he was a professional athlete as well. After landing a scholarship to play at the University of Miami, Johnson's promising future was cut short by injury. Although never a likely contender for the NFL draft (he was really only a backup), he was instead recruited by the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League. Unfortunately, although the WWE have often been keen to play up The Rock's athletic background, he was actually something of a failure in the CFL. The Stampeders let him go after only two months of his first season, a move which ultimately led to his focus switching to professional wrestling. Who knows how the wrestling landscape would look today had the Stampeders given Johnson another chance?
