10 Wrestlers Who Played Professional Sports

As a football star at the University of Georgia, Bill Goldberg never imagined that one day he would be standing in the middle of the Georgia Dome not as a football player but as the man who had just defeated Hulk Hogan to become WCW world champion.

Goldberg was a defensive lineman in college, starring for the Georgia Bulldogs before being selected in the 11th round of the 1990 NFL draft by the Los Angeles Rams. He then moved to the Sacramento Gold Miners of the CFL before being brought back to the NFL by the Atlanta Falcons. He appeared in 14 career games for the Falcons but suffered a severe abdominal tear that essentially ended his professional career.

However, before he retired, Goldberg managed to make one bit of history in the NFL. In 1995, he was selected by the debuting Carolina Panthers in the NFL Expansion Draft, held whenever a new team enters the league. Unfortunately, Bill Goldberg was too injured to play with the team and he became the first player to ever be cut by the Carolina Panthers.

Goldberg worked to rehab his injury with the goal of playing in the NFL again but he was spotted by Lex Luger and Sting while at a gym. They convinced him to begin training for professional wrestling and, seemingly overnight, Goldberg became one of the biggest names in professional wrestling.