List of National Football League Olympians

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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 for which they played (the team closest to the time of the player's Olympic participation), the sport in which they participated, and their medal count. All represented the United States, except for Colin Ridgway, represented Australia in 1956 and Jahvid Best, 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[edit]

Summer Olympics[edit]

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
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
Jess Lewis Houston Oilers Wrestling 1968 0 0 0 0
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[6] Athletics 1960 0 1 0 1
Clyde Scott Philadelphia Eagles Athletics 1948 0 1 0 1
Tommie Smith Cincinnati Bengals[6] Athletics 1968 1 0 0 1
Gerald Tinker Atlanta Falcons Athletics 1972 1 0 0 1
T.J. Jackson Philadelphia Eagles Athletics 1964 0 0 0 0
James Jett Los Angeles Raiders Athletics 1992 1 0 0 1
Jeff Demps[7] 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[8] Athletics 1920/1924 0 0 0 0
Harold Muller Los Angeles Buccaneers Athletics 1920 0 1 0 1
Marquise Goodwin Buffalo Bills Athletics 2012 0 0 0 0
Nate Ebner New England Patriots Rugby sevens 2016 0 0 0 0
Jahvid Best Detroit Lions Athletics 2016 0 0 0 0
Randy Dean New York Giants Handball 1976 0 0 0 0
Marvin Bracy Seattle Seahawks Athletics 2016 0 0 0 0
Devon Allen Philadelphia Eagles Athletics 2016/2020 0 0 0 0

Winter Olympics[edit]

Player NFL Team Sport Olympic Year Gold Silver Bronze Total
Herschel Walker Philadelphia Eagles Bobsledding 1992 0 0 0 0
Johnny Quinn Green Bay Packers Bobsledding 2014 0 0 0 0
Jeremy Bloom Philadelphia Eagles Freestyle Skiing 2002/2006 0 0 0 0

References[edit]

  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. Archived from the original on 2012-02-11. 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. ^ a b These teams were part of the American Football League at the time
  7. ^ "Patriots sign Olympic medalist Jeff Demps to a contract –". Usatoday.com. 2012-08-18. Retrieved 2012-08-23.
  8. ^ As part of the American Professional Football Association
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