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Carl Weathers as a football player
Posted: Sat Jun 29, 2019 1:53 pm
by lastcat3
APOLLO!!!!! APOLLO!!!! APOLLO!!!!
Recently watched the latest Creed movie and am a big Star Wars fan so looking forward to Carl Weathers appearance in the upcoming Mandalorian series. Which got me thinking what was Carl Weathers like as a professional football player? Saw that he was actually undrafted and only played in a handful of games so he didn't have much of an NFL career. Did he though have any signature moments while playing and are there any highlights out there on youtube of him with the Raiders? Before looking it up for some reason I thought he had played with the Eagles.
Also what other former NFL players ended up making a far bigger impact as an actor than they did in football?
Re: Carl Weathers as a football player
Posted: Sat Jun 29, 2019 2:20 pm
by Rupert Patrick
lastcat3 wrote:APOLLO!!!!! APOLLO!!!! APOLLO!!!!
Recently watched the latest Creed movie and am a big Star Wars fan so looking forward to Carl Weathers appearance in the upcoming Mandalorian series. Which got me thinking what was Carl Weathers like as a professional football player? Saw that he was actually undrafted and only played in a handful of games so he didn't have much of an NFL career. Did he though have any signature moments while playing and are there any highlights out there on youtube of him with the Raiders? Before looking it up for some reason I thought he had played with the Eagles.
Also what other former NFL players ended up making a far bigger impact as an actor than they did in football?
I've never actually seen any game footage (NFL Films) of Carl Weathers on the field as a Raider. If there were any available, I think it would be well-known.
Terry Crews is one guy who has had a much bigger career in show business than he ever did in football, as he is seemingly all over the place on television these days.
While not a television star, rap mogul Suge Knight played in two replacement games for the Rams in 1987.
Re: Carl Weathers as a football player
Posted: Sat Jun 29, 2019 2:21 pm
by BD Sullivan
lastcat3 wrote:APOLLO!!!!! APOLLO!!!! APOLLO!!!!
Recently watched the latest Creed movie and am a big Star Wars fan so looking forward to Carl Weathers appearance in the upcoming Mandalorian series. Which got me thinking what was Carl Weathers like as a professional football player? Saw that he was actually undrafted and only played in a handful of games so he didn't have much of an NFL career. Did he though have any signature moments while playing and are there any highlights out there on youtube of him with the Raiders? Before looking it up for some reason I thought he had played with the Eagles.
His "signature play" as it were, was probably in the Raiders' 8/30/70 exhibition game against the Packers. GB's rookie kicker Joe Runk kicked off in the fourth quarter and was obliterated by Weathers. The description of the play from news accounts:
"Runk went down as if he were shot and was out cold for a few moments."
Phil Bengston was quoted after the game about that play:
"I never saw anybody knocked stiffer than he was."
The Raiders considered moving Weathers to strong safety in 1971, but moved him back to linebacker before training camp. He was released after the first regular season game and signed the following week with British Columbia of the CFL, where he played for a few years.
"
Re: Carl Weathers as a football player
Posted: Mon Jul 01, 2019 10:14 am
by Jay Z
BD Sullivan wrote:His "signature play" as it were, was probably in the Raiders' 8/30/70 exhibition game against the Packers. GB's rookie kicker Joe Runk kicked off in the fourth quarter and was obliterated by Weathers. The description of the play from news accounts:
"Runk went down as if he were shot and was out cold for a few moments."
Phil Bengston was quoted after the game about that play:
"I never saw anybody knocked stiffer than he was."
The Raiders considered moving Weathers to strong safety in 1971, but moved him back to linebacker before training camp. He was released after the first regular season game and signed the following week with British Columbia of the CFL, where he played for a few years.
"
Did the NFL pass a rule at some point about "targeting" the kicker on kickoff returns? There are many old films where you see the receiving team send a player directly at the kicker to "block" him. The blocker is many yards away from the rest of the offense. It was intended to harass the kicker. I am guessing there was a rule change at some point.
Re: Carl Weathers as a football player
Posted: Mon Jul 01, 2019 4:30 pm
by John Grasso
lastcat3 wrote:
Also what other former NFL players ended up making a far bigger impact as an actor than they did in football?
The first one that comes to mind is Woody Strode. The second is Herm Wedemeyer (AAFC).
Re: Carl Weathers as a football player
Posted: Tue Jul 02, 2019 2:24 am
by JohnTurney
Rupert Patrick wrote:lastcat3 wrote:APOLLO!!!!! APOLLO!!!! APOLLO!!!!
Recently watched the latest Creed movie and am a big Star Wars fan so looking forward to Carl Weathers appearance in the upcoming Mandalorian series. Which got me thinking what was Carl Weathers like as a professional football player? Saw that he was actually undrafted and only played in a handful of games so he didn't have much of an NFL career. Did he though have any signature moments while playing and are there any highlights out there on youtube of him with the Raiders? Before looking it up for some reason I thought he had played with the Eagles.
Also what other former NFL players ended up making a far bigger impact as an actor than they did in football?
I've never actually seen any game footage (NFL Films) of Carl Weathers on the field as a Raider. If there were any available, I think it would be well-known.
Terry Crews is one guy who has had a much bigger career in show business than he ever did in football, as he is seemingly all over the place on television these days.
While not a television star, rap mogul Suge Knight played in two replacement games for the Rams in 1987.
Re: Carl Weathers as a football player
Posted: Tue Jul 02, 2019 2:25 am
by JohnTurney
lastcat3 wrote:
Also what other former NFL players ended up making a far bigger impact as an actor than they did in football?
Mike Henry, TV's Tarzan. Alan Autry, (Carlos Brown) didn't have much of an NFL career but had solid acting career.
Re: Carl Weathers as a football player
Posted: Tue Jul 02, 2019 8:13 am
by Bryan
lastcat3 wrote:Also what other former NFL players ended up making a far bigger impact as an actor than they did in football?
Carl Weathers' teammate at San Diego State was Hunter!
Re: Carl Weathers as a football player
Posted: Tue Jul 02, 2019 10:06 am
by Halas Hall
Did Charles "Bubba" Smith have a more noteworthy career as an actor and television pitchman than he did as a pro football player?
Re: Carl Weathers as a football player
Posted: Tue Jul 02, 2019 10:13 am
by Ronfitch
FWIW ... there once was a pretty great end named Elroy, who played for the Rams. Hall of Fame great. From Wisconsin. Toward the end of his playing career, after appearing in two movies, in 1957 he appeared in a third, "Zero Hour!"
You may have never seen "ZeroHour!" but you likely know the plot and even some of the dialogue.
"ZeroHour!" is an airplane disaster movie in which the pilot (played by Hirsh) becomes ill - along with the co-pilot and many passengers - after eating tainted fish served in the in-flight meal. With the plane on autopilot, the search is on to find a passenger with flying experience. On the flight is Ted Stryker, a combat pilot stricken with guild from a fateful decision he made in WWII that resulted in the deaths of members of his squadron. Styker's WWII commander is summoned to the control tower in Vancouver to talk Ted through landing the plane.
In the late '70s, the Zucker brothers and Jim Abrahams - from Wisconsin - used "ZeroHour!" as the basis for "Airplane!" and lifted a fair amount of dialogue from the original.
Roger, Roger.