It is no secret that many athletes are often typecast as nothing more than the typical “dumb jock” figure. This is especially true when you consider the college setting. Many people think that student-athletes only like to skip class, push some weights, bully nerds into writing their papers, and cheat on tests.
Although we cannot deny that there are certain scandals and incidents that seem to validate these claims, we will have you know there are numerous hardworking athletes who prioritize their education. As a matter of fact, a couple of them are pretty much geniuses. Don’t believe us? We will let this list of the smartest sportsmen convince you!
35 Sports Superstars Who Will Make You Rethink The Dumb Jock Stereotype
Bill Walton
If you are a basketball fan who knows your stuff, you likely know that Bill Walton is a Hall of Famer. The baller is known better as an excellent sportscaster nowadays, however. The former 3-time College of the Year awardee led the UCLA Bruins to victory during the NCAA Championships not once but twice! However, not a lot of people are aware that he is a well-read individual. Walton actually finished two years at Stanford Law School, which is an extremely prestigious academic institution. However, our favorite fun fact about him is probably that he is a big fan of Grateful Dead. He can talk about music just as well as he can discuss sports!
Bill Walton
Bill Bradley
In our opinion, more people should use the adjective intelligent when talking about Bill Bradley. Did you know that he went to Princeton on a Rhodes Scholarship? This grant allows recipients the chance to go to Oxford for two years! Of course, Bradley took the opportunity to study at Oxford. When he came back, he decided to focus on a career in the NBA. He is also the author of six non-fiction books like “We Can All Do Better”. Aside from that, he was also a Senator for three terms.
Bill Bradley
Dick Kazmaier
Dick Kazmaier was awarded the Heisman Trophy back in 1951. He did not only attend one Ivy League institution but two! After he graduated from Princeton, he had the chance to join the Chicago Bears at the NFL, though he refused this incredible opportunity to attend the Harvard Business School. Eventually, he went into the Navy and stayed there for 3 years before he launched his investment firm.
Dick Kazmaier
Myron Rolle
Myron Rolle is yet another Rhodes Scholar on our list! It goes without saying that he got it on account of his academic achievement and merit. During his college days at FSU, he played safety. Somehow, he managed to do this while studying medical anthropology. In 2006, ESPN hailed him the top recruit and Rivals.com called him the top NJ athlete. During the 2010 NFL draft, he got drafted during the 6th round and was the 207th overall pick by the Titans.
Myron Rolle
Jeremy Lin
Jeremy Lin is yet another superstar both in school and on the court. His amazing basketball career began when he was studying at Harvard. With Tommy Amaker as his coach, he upset numerous powerhouse teams on the NCAA. He was the 1st Ivy League baller to shoot 1,450 points during his college career. He eventually went on to join the New York Knicks, where his unexpected turnaround was dubbed “Linsanity”.
Jeremy Lin
Ross Ohlendorf
Texas native Ross Oblendorf entered the MLB. Over the course of his carer, he played for teams such as the Washington Nationals, the Pittsburgh Pirates, and the New York Yankees. Before he climbed up the ladder and entered the league, he studied at Princeton and even got the title of the Ivy League Rookie of the Year! He also received the George Mueller award, which is based on academic merit. What a cool dude.
Ross Ohlendorf
Craig Breslow
Anyone who went to a school in the States knows just how important the SATs are. It is essentially used to measure your intelligence and even future at the age of 17 or 18. We can see why so many people fret over the exam – after all, it will more or less dictate where you go to college! Luckily for Craig Breslow, he did perfectly fine. After all, the Oakland A’s pitcher scored an impressive 1420 on the SATs and a stunning 34 on the MCATs. Considering how well he did, we doubt anyone was surprised when he got into Yale as well as the New York University School of Medicine. He earned his degree in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry at the Ivy League institution. He did not slack off in college, and you can tell this is true with his impressive 3.5 GPA! Sporting News called him “The Smartest Athlete in All Sports”.
Craig Breslow
Ryan Fitzpatrick
Now, we all know that taking on the quarterback position requires quite a lot of intelligence. However, Ryan Fitzpatrick is even smarter than the average QB. This Arizonian scored 1580 on the SATs and went to Harvard for college. In those days, the highest attainable score was 1600! He took up economics during his undergraduate days. He is currently playing for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, though we are sure he can put his degree to use when he counts his coins!
Ryan Fitzpatrick
Shane Battier
Shane Battier has earned himself a reputation as an all-around good guy in the NBA. He graduated from Duke with a GPA of 3.5. Aside from academics, he is also amazing on the court. During the 2001 NBA Draft, he was the 6th overall pick. This was not surprising to the people who knew he previously won the Naismith College Player of the Year award. The Heat player retired from playing ball in 2014 but stayed on the team to become the director of basketball development and analytics.
Shane Battier
Chris Nowinski
Chris Nowinski is yet another Harvard alumnus who has been blessed with amazing sporting ability. The sociology graduate used his brains for good by guarding against brain injuries and concussions in contact sports such as football and wrestling. The former WWE star is probably best known for fighting to have Lou Gehrig’s condition covered by the NFL insurance. With his dedication, hard work, and passion, it is hardly a surprise he went on to become the President of The Sports Legacy Institute. What a great guy!
Chris Nowinski
Grant Hill
Grant Hill ended up becoming a seven-time NBA All-Star player, but he was previously a history major at Duke University. During his college days, he led the Blue Devils to consecutive titles in 1991 and 1992. There are numerous NBA fans who called him the greatest baller that never was. His NBA career suffered greatly after he got a serious knee injury. He is now busy working on charitable causes and collecting art.
Grant Hill
George Parros
Before he entered the NHL and made name for himself there, George Parros was an economics student at Princeton University. The hockey player best known for his iconic mustache was already putting his gifted brain to use back in high school. As a teenager, he worked for the Chicago Board of Trade!
George Parros
Heath Shuler
Before he became a congressman for North Carolina, the world first got to know Heath Shuler as an NFL quarterback. During the 1994 NFL Draft, he was chosen by the Washington Redskins as the 3rd overall pick! He eventually retired from playing and decided to return to the University of Tennessee, his alma mater, to get a psychology degree. After this, he went into the lucrative real estate industry before he moved to North Carolina and ended up joining the House of Representatives in 2006.
Heath Shuler
Jamal Mashburn
Although Jamal Mashburn did not score a perfect 1600 on the SATs, we daresay there is something admirable about the way he ended up using the money he earned during his days in the NBA. He is the proud owner of numerous franchises. Let us break it down for you: 37 Papa John’s and 34 Outback Steakhouses! He also owns numerous Dunkin Donuts stores and Kentucky-based car dealerships. His already impressive $75 million from the NBA has come even father! If you ask us, money smarts are just as impressive as book smarts.
Jamal Mashburn
Matt Birk
Matt Birk got a 34 on the ACTs. When you consider the fact that the average score is 20.8, that is incredibly impressive. He studied economics at Harvard before he went on to become Sporting News’ 6th Smartest Athlete back in 2006. He enjoyed a successful and lengthy career with the Baltimore Ravens and Minnesota Vikings before he retired in 2012. In 2002, he launched the HIKE Foundation, which aimed to help at-risk students in the Baltimore area with the transition between schools and college. By 2010, the foundation already helped 100,000 students in the city. In 2011, he was awarded the Walter Payton Man of the Year award.
Matt Birk
Chris Young
Chris Young went to Princeton, where he obtained his Economics degree. The multi-talented man went on to be the first athlete to get the All-Ivy League honors in both baseball and basketball. He eventually went into the MLB, and the pitcher was chosen for the All-Star team in 2007. In 2015, he helped the Kansas City Royals win the World Series Championship title. He decided to retire in 2017.
Chris Young
Brad Ausmus
Brad Ausmus took up his undergraduate studies at Dartmouth. He was a history major back then. Although he initially had plans to go to law school, he decided to focus on his baseball career instead. After playing the sport professionally for two decades, he retired. However, he did hold different positions with the MLB. Most recently, he was the special assistant to the Los Angeles General Manager.
Brad Ausmus
Alex Smith
Alex Smith is a rather controversial quarterback. Despite everything that has happened in the past, the former quarterback for the 49ers and current quarterback for the Redskins is intelligent nevertheless. He managed to finish his degree from the University of Utah in just 2 years. He even ended it on a high note with a GPA of 3.74! He also considered going to law school, though he found his way into the NFL as he was beginning the master’s program.
Alex Smith
Steve Nash
Steve Nash enjoyed playing in the NBA a total of 18 seasons. When he was attending Santa Clara University, he led the team to 3 appearances in the NCAAs. The Canadian-born baller also dabbled in film. He directed a commercial for Nike and a documentary called “Into the Wind”. If you ask us, that is nothing short of impressive.
Steve Nash
Pau Gasol
We have already seen a number of athletes who also have a background in the tough field of medicine. Pau Gasol actually left the University of Barcelona School of Medicine to make his NBA goals a reality. He has been chosen for the NBA All-Star team six times and played at the All-NBA team four times. Although he is doing just fine in the NBA, it is pretty cool that he can go back to medicine after his retirement. Apparently, the dean extended him the offer to come back whenever he wanted.
Pau Gasol
Michael Doleac
During the 1998 NBA Draft, Michael Doleac was the 12th overall pick. Before he entered the NBA, he was already pursuing a medicine career. Ten years after his draft, he retired and went back to the University of Utah to study again. However, he decided to shift his concentration from medicine to physics instead.
Michael Doleac
Douglas Murray
American hockey player Douglas Murray went to Cornell and finished a degree in Hotel Administration in 2003. Did you know that he speaks 3 languages? He is proficient at German, English, and Swedish? He has gone on to launch several businesses since then, which includes a company that manufacturers spout free keg taps.
Douglas Murray
Dhani Jones
Dhani Jones spent 11 seasons in the NFL before he retired to start a number of business ventures. Among other things, he worked on the television show called “Dhani Tackles the Globe”, which was distributed by The Travel Channel. He is also the owner of a men’s luxury bow tie company.
Dhani Jones
Robert Smith
Medical school must have been calling out to Robert Smith during the entirety of his 8-year NFL career. During the 1993 NFL Draft, the Vikings picked him, and he ended up becoming the 21st overall pick. He still holds the 2nd rushing record for the team as well as the all-time record for average yards per touchdown. After he broke these records, he came back to medical school to finish his degree.
Robert Smith
Tim Green
Tim Green is the author of sixteen books in total. One of these, “Football Genius”, is even made it to the New York Times Bestseller list. Before he went on to write, he was the Atlanta Falcons linebacker and defensive end.
Tim Green
Jerry Kramer
Jerry Kramer is yet another athlete who went on to become an author. He was the co-author for the book “Instant Replay”. It might just be the most famous book about football ever written. The book included stories, anecdotes, and details about his time with the Green Bay Packers. Read it now to find out what it was like to be a right guard hand.
Jerry Kramer
Jim Bouton
Like the aforementioned athletes, Jim Bouton also penned a book about the time he spent with the Seattle Pilots and the Houston Astros. The book was not well-received by the MLB since it went into details that were full of controversy and scandal. The book talked about offensive jokes and drunken moments, among other things. Even though the league did not approve of what he put in it, the gritty and realistic portrayal of the life of a pro athlete appealed to many people and guaranteed it commercial success.
Jim Bouton
Byron White
Even though Byron “Whizzer” White was a rookie, he did not fail the NFL when it comes to rushing in the same year. Apparently, he also made name for his smarts. He was a Rhodes Scholar awardee, after all. He later went to become an intelligence officer at the Navy. However, his best-known role must be as a US Supreme Court Justice, a position he held for 31 years.
Byron White
Alan Page
In 1988, Alan Page went on to join the ranks of NFL Hall of Famers. With that said, he later went to the University of Minnesota to get a law degree. Armed with such an education, he was able to land the position of assistant attorney general for the state. He eventually joined the Minnesota Supreme Court.
Alan Page
Ken Dryden
Ken Dryden happens to be another athlete who ended up enjoying a career in law. After he obtained a history degree from the prestigious Cornell University, he finished his law studies at McGill University. He is known for serving on the Canadian Parliament. Of course, we will never forget him for his sporting abilities. He is considered by man to be one of the best goaltenders in NHL history.
Ken Dryden
Sid Luckman
Sid Luckman went to Columbia University for college. He was born and raised in New York and played football and baseball when he was in high school. He did not plan to go pro in either sport, however. At least, this was the case until the Chicago Bears head coach paid him a personal visit and convinced him to try out for the NFL. It was definitely a good thing he decided to give it a shot. Back in the 1940s, he was part of four Championship Bears teams. He also has the record for most touchdown passes in a game.
Sid Luckman
Gary Fencik
Gary Fencik went to Yale and started his football career there as a quarterback. He eventually joined the NFL as a free safety and played 12 years with the Chicago Bears. He holds the Chicago Bears record for tackles and interceptions. Fencik also received a Master’s from Northwestern University and eventually leveraged his education into a career in finance with Adam Street Partners.
Gary Fencik
Joe Nieuwendyk
Joe Nieuwendyk began his sports career during his time at Cornell University. He went into the NHL and became the 27th overall pick during the 1985 draft. Now a 3-time Stanley Cup champion, he is also the General Manager of the Dallas Stars.
Joe Nieuwendyk
Pat Haden
Pat Haden is yet another Rhodes Scholar awardee! Coming from Westbury, New York, he had a great high school career before he became a USC Trojan. During his college days, he was awarded the MVP award. He has enjoyed a fruitful and diverse career after he left the World Football League. For a couple of years, he worked as a CBS broadcaster. He had a law practice for several years before he went back to USC to become the Athletic Director for the Trojans. What an amazing life he has had.
Pat Haden
Jim O’Rourke
Did you know that baseball legend Jim O’Rourke graduated from Yale Law? As a matter of fact, he was even dubbed “Orator Jim” back in the day. Among other things, he was a progressive man who hired the first African-American player in the minor leagues. He had a long and successful career in both the major and minor leagues. He played his final game in 1904. Apparently, he was the 54th oldest player to ever be active in the minor leagues!
Jim O’Rourke