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From the Gridiron to the Canvas: Football players in sports-entertainment photos" F* p- r6 s3 l) {1 ]4 ]( l9 H
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Before he became a Superstar, Lex Luger played professional football in the Canadian Football League, the USFL and for the NFL's Green Bay Packers) w1 P* k5 g0 {( z+ `% Q/ }1 i
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7 N1 {4 q" f) h$ R+ `Luger went on to have a decorated career in the ring, winning the WCW World, United States, Television and Tag Team Titles.
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o$ U: Z, D2 e6 e7 @. FHe was also a member of The Four Horsemen and The nWo." _+ V$ g" s; ~
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7 i/ }2 \) |' }: ~7 m- uSteve "Mongo" McMichael was a member of the 1985 Super Bowl Champion Chicago Bears., a4 p& Y- m: i/ r& c' x% A `( y
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( S; [6 \$ l! ^. j# l iHere, "Mongo" takes on Pro Football Hall of Famer Reggie White at Slamboree 1997.% j5 @* {$ p6 ]
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/ V" w b W, {One of McMichael's teammates, William "The Refrigerator" Perry, was a featured attraction at WrestleMania 2- \+ g- W- m# ?% D' N. M4 M t
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6 S6 o' A; w q. V! jPerry, a WWE Hall of Famer, and several other NFL stars tangled with monsters like Andre the Giant and Big John Studd in a Battle Royal at The Show of Shows.
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D, L6 N; B% N+ JMarcus Cor Von played for the Buffalo Bills and New England Patriots during his NFL career.# I. R5 _: Q8 F: N
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"The Alpha Male" joined the ECW roster in 2007, aiding The New Breed in their battle against the ECW Originals.3 I/ {+ w* [, s1 Q0 n7 b2 s# |
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Bronko Nagurski played nine seasons at fullback for the Chicago Bears. He was also a World Champion wrestler. A trophy named after him is presented to the best defensive player in college football each year.. v' q, o. F8 ~& d6 h* h/ y/ j
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& g/ Z) U0 S+ G! G/ g$ ZKevin Greene played for several NFL teams, including the Carolina Panthers. During the offseason, he competed in WCW. At Slamboree 1998, he huddled up with Roddy Piper and Ric Flair to take on The nWo Wolfpac.
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Goldberg set out on a quest to become a Superstar after injuries prevented him from the NFL career he wanted." E3 h3 O; _: v( t+ p; \" G
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The former defensive tackle defeated Hugh Morrus in his WCW debut, which was the start of a 173-match winning streak.9 t2 L9 ~4 r. l# l7 C6 s+ f" O
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$ _" M2 p5 W$ B( J+ G lBringing the same intensity to the ring as on the football field, Goldberg quickly became the WCW World Champion.
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Ron Simmons had a stellar career at Florida State University, earning himself a place in the College Football Hall of Fame. The defensive tackle was drafted in 1981 by the Cleveland Browns and also played for several USFL teams.2 L5 `4 l0 L- a% L P! Z; P/ z
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# W' z+ I4 V: N1 o9 W: VThe WWE Hall of Famer joined forces with another gridiron competitor, Bradshaw, to form the APA.
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. U; W/ X. I$ MThe APA went on to steamroll their way to the World Tag Team Titles.: a: M1 Y4 ]4 z8 S
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0 i J4 Z4 ^! m7 F' ?4 w, vBradshaw, an offensive lineman at Abilene Christian University and the Los Angeles Raiders, later embraced his inner tycoon, becoming the nefarious JBL.' |) d: D; w% P% {, h7 F/ ~& N6 S
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. S! G+ N: X2 [3 J8 \' dJBL went on to hold the WWE, United States and Intercontinental Championships.
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"Big Cat" Ernie Ladd played for the San Diego Chargers, Houston Oilers and Kansas City Chiefs before hitting the mat. A constant thorn in the sides of Pedro Morales, Bob Backlund and Bruno Sammartino, Ladd earned a place in the WWE Hall of Fame.
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Though he was undersized for a linebacker, Brian Pillman's determination earned him a spot on the 1984 roster of his hometown Cincinnati Bengals." _3 V) i$ s3 t. d8 _% E7 B
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7 Y Y. K. X' Y6 ]: DHe later helped innovate what would become the cruiserweight style of wrestling in the United States.
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After stints with the Oilers, New York Jets, Denver Broncos and Miami Dolphins, linebacker Wahoo McDaniel embarked on a career in sports-entertainment, capturing the United States Title.# H2 m! S1 M ^ x5 h: R6 ^8 Q( m; j
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, n O/ b2 N I* b) NMike Adamle was a running back for the Chicago Bears before becoming a broadcaster.5 w' q8 t+ L) N/ d/ J
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/ j/ q& H# O$ B+ U+ fHe joined WWE as an interviewer in 2008, before being named Raw GM that summer.
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8 [: T) [. k! f" xPro Football Hall of Fame linebacker Lawrence Taylor traded in his New York Giants jersey for a white and blue one with his initials on it when he took on Bam Bam Bigelow at Wrestlemania XI.
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L.T. shocked the world when he pinned The Beast From The East after a flying shoulder tackle. |
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