It’s that time of year… Football is back! The sport that is synonymous with fall in the United States emphasizes hard work, camaraderie, and hometown pride. Perhaps this is why there exists a strong parallel between football and country music, and why many of the top names in the industry once excelled on the field.
Check out the list below to see a dozen country stars in their former football days. Some may surprise you!
1. Kenny Chesney
Football has always been very close to Kenny Chesney’s heart, and before he was a country music staple, he was a wide receiver for Gibbs High School in Corryton, Tennessee. His football career ended when he graduated in 1986 and moved to Nashville to pursue country music.
Chesney’s personal experience with the game inspired his number-one hit song, “The Boys of Fall.” In 2010, the song was adapted into a documentary by the same name.
It debuted on ESPN and showcased the lives of star football players including Pro Football Hall of Famer Joe Namath and Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame Honoree Peyton Manning. The film earned Chesney an induction into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame in 2011 as “Tennessean of the Year.”
2. Willie Nelson
Before he was considered one of the first “outlaw” country singers, Willie Nelson was halfback for his high school football team in Abbott, Texas. During those years, he also played basketball and baseball and competed in Future Farmers of America.
A reporter for Sports Center once asked the musician what he was like as a halfback. Nelson responded jokingly, “Slow.” See it in the clip below!
3. Sam Hunt
Sam Hunt showed an early talent for football and was notably close to pursuing a career in the sport. The country singer was nominated for a Heisman trophy while in high school, and was quickly picked up by a college to play as the staring quarterback.
Hunt played for both Middle Tennessee State University and The University of Alabama, before he decided to trade in his football for a microphone. Before long, Hunt found success in country music, known for hits like “Take Your Time” and “Body Like A Back Road.”
4. Cole Swindell
Before Cole Swindell made it big, the “Chillin’ It” singer showed prowess in a variety of sports. The South Georgia native tried his a hand at golf, track, baseball, basketball, and football. Swindell was a naturally gifted athlete, but after meeting Luke Bryan during his time at Georgia Southern University, he shifted his focus to music, and never looked back.
5. Trace Adkins
Standing at 6’6″ inches tall and with an athletic build, Trace Adkins likely had every sports team in high school vying for his loyalty. After graduating, Adkins studied music at Louisiana Tech, and simultaneously continued to pursue his football career.
He played as a walk-on offensive lineman, but a knee injury during his freshman year ended his time on the gridiron. After college, Adkins worked on an oil rig, but continued to play music in honky-tonks. He eventually caught the attention of a Capitol Records executive which led to a record deal in 1995.
6. Toby Keith
Country music icon Toby Keith‘s Oklahoma football roots run deep. In his younger years, he played defensive end for Moore High in Moore, OK. His talent for the game found him the opportunity to play semi-pro ball for the Oklahoma City Drillers, in the now defunct, United States Football League.
Later in life, The “Made in America” singer coached his son Stelen’s high school team in Oklahoma City. Keith remained an avid University of Oklahoma sports fan, and was often seen at Sooners games and practices.
7. Garth Brooks
Before he was a record-breaking country artist, Garth Brooks played quarterback on his football team at Yukon High School in Oklahoma. During his school years, he also played baseball and ran track. After graduating, he earned a track scholarship to Oklahoma State University where he specialized in javelin. He did not continue to play football at this stage.
After being exposed to a wide variety of music by his older siblings, Brooks took a liking to country music and began to play it in bars around Oklahoma after college in the mid-80s. Ultimately, the “Friends In Low Places” singer was heard by entertainment attorney Rod Phelps who helped him make his first demo.
8. Eric Church
Young Eric Church was an avid athlete, playing baseball, golf, basketball, and football. Although he reportedly had aspirations to play football in college, a career-ending knee injury his sophomore year of high school set him on a different path.
Church went on to study marketing at Appalachian State University (also the alma mater of fellow country star Luke Combs) before he found success in country music.
9. Darius Rucker
Even though he grew up in Charleston, South Carolina, Darius Rucker has been a lifelong fan of the Miami Dolphins. In middle school, Rucker played quarterback, but his time on the field did not extend much beyond that.
As an alumnus of the University of South Carolina, the former Hootie and the Blowfish frontman has been a devoted supporter of the Gamecocks. In 2015, after decades of success in music, Rucker was given the chance to play with the football team in a tradition made by the head coach where a quarterback throws a touchdown pass to a celebrity guest receiver.
10. Tim McGraw
Being the son of star pitcher Tug McGraw, Tim McGraw was born with baseball in his veins. However, his aptitude for sports extended onto other fields and he also played football at Monroe Christian High School in the first half of the 1980s.
Now an accomplished country singer and actor, McGraw has been known to take roles in football-themed films, including “Friday Night Lights” and “The Blind Side.”
11. Chase Rice
Chase Rice was a linebacker for the University of North Carolina Tar Heels from 2005 – 2008. Before that, he played in high school at AC Reynolds High in Ashville, North Carolina. An ankle injury, along with other torn joints, forced Rice to shift his sights from an NFL career to a career in country music.
Coincidentally, it was a connection he made while playing childhood soccer that would ultimately lead him to country music. Rice played soccer as a child in Florida with Brian Kelley, one half of the award-winning duo Florida George Line. The two kept in touch and Rice went on to co-write some of their hit songs, including “Cruise.”
12. Riley Green
Country heartthrob Riley Green fulfilled a lifelong dream when played quarterback for the Jacksonville State University Gamecocks from 2007-2009. Green says his country music career started as his football career ended. He began playing late-night gigs while still in college which made keeping up with his class schedule difficult.
Hear him talk about those days in the clip below!
