Athletes Who Went Into Politics

Gerald Ford, the 38th president, starred at center for the University of Michigan football team and won an NCAA Championship in 1933. After graduating, Ford received offers from the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers but turned them down to pursue a law degree at Yale.

Ford served 13 terms in Congress before he was asked to serve as Richard Nixon’s vice president after Spiro Agnew resigned. Ford would eventually become commander in chief following Nixon’s resignation in the wake of the Watergate scandal.

In his heyday, Vitali Klitschko was one of the most feared boxers of all time. From 1996-2012, the 6’7″ Ukrainian heavyweight went 45-2 in his career, winning by knockout 41 times. He held five different titles during his time in the ring.

Even before the end of his boxing career, Klitschko stepped into the political arena. In 2010, he led the Ukrainian Democratic Alliance for Reform political party. Fittingly, the acronym UDAR in Ukrainian translates to “punch.” Klitschko was elected mayor of Kyiv in 2014, and he still holds the position. Amid the Russian invasion in 2022, Klitschko remained in Kyiv to lead his constituents.

Colin Allred was an undrafted free agent linebacker out of Baylor University who caught on with the Tennessee Titans. He played four seasons with the Titans before hanging up his cleats to pursue his political ambitions.

After earning his law degree, Allred won election as a U.S. representative for Texas’ 32nd District in 2018 and won reelection again in 2020. He became the first Democrat to represent the district, which includes northern Dallas and many of the suburbs in the area. Previously, Republican Pete Sessions represented the district each year since its inception in 2002.

Politicians often like to describe themselves as “fighters,” but few mean it as literally as Kansas Representative Sharice Davids. Davids spent years as an amateur mixed martial arts fighter before turning pro. She finished her career with a 5-1 record as an amateur and a 1-1 record as a pro.

Rep. Davids initially won her seat in 2018, defeating incumbent Kevin Yoder and becoming the first Democrat to represent Kansas’ 3rd District in a decade. Upon her election, Davids became one of the first two Native American women to serve in Congress along with Rep. Deb Haaland, also elected in 2018.

Jon Runyan had a long, distinguished NFL career, playing for the Tennessee Titans, Philadelphia Eagles, and San Diego Chargers from 1996-2009. During his football career, Runyan started all 16 games a dozen seasons in a row and earned a spot in the Pro Bowl in 2002.

Following his NFL career, Runyan won a seat in Congress in 2010. Running as a Republican, Runyan represented New Jersey’s 3rd District – just over the border from Philadelphia, where he starred for the Eagles for nine seasons. He served two consecutive terms in the House of Representatives from 2011-2015, and decided not to seek reelection after that. Runyan now works as the NFL’s vice president of policy and rules administration.

Manny Pacquiao is one of the most accomplished boxers of all time. He won a dozen different world titles and is the only fighter to hold belts in eight different weight classes. During the prime of his boxing career, Pacquiao got involved in politics in his home nation, the Philippines.

Pacquiao lost his first congressional race in 2007 but won his second and third elections in 2010 and 2013, respectively. In 2016, Pacquiao was elected to the Philippines senate. The boxer threw his hat in the ring for the Philippines’ presidential election in 2022, but lost to Ferdinand Marcos Jr., son of the nation’s former dictator.

Steve Largent is one of the greatest wide receivers in NFL history. The Seattle Seahawks legend made seven Pro Bowls in his Hall of Fame career, leading the league in receiving yards in two different seasons. Even during his NFL career, he was known for giving back, winning the Walter Payton Man of the Year award in 1988 as football’s top philanthropist.

Born and raised in Oklahoma, Largent returned to his home state to get involved in politics shortly after his playing days ended. In 1994, he was appointed to fill the congressional seat for Oklahoma’s 1st District to take over from James Inhofe, who had been elected to the Senate. He served in the seat until 2002, when he launched a failed bid for governor.

Burgess Owens played for a decade in the NFL, playing safety for the New York Jets and Oakland Raiders and winning the Super Bowl in 1981 with the Raiders. Owens retired from the NFL after the 1982 season.

After the NFL, Owens moved into the corporate sales world and started working with disadvantaged youth through his Second Chance 4 Youth nonprofit organization. In 2020, he ran as a Republican for Congress in Utah’s 4th District, just south of Salt Lake City. Owens won the election over incumbent Democrat Ben McAdams.

Ralph Metcalfe served his country as an athlete, soldier, and politician. One of the great sprinters of his time, Metcalfe won a bronze medal and a silver medal in the 1932 Olympics, then represented the U.S. in Nazi Germany in the 1936 Berlin games. Along with Jesse Owens, Metcalfe and Team USA won gold in the 4 x 100 meter relay. He also secured a silver in the 100 meter dash.

After his athletics career, Metcalfe served in the U.S. Army Transportation Corps as a first lieutenant during World War II. Metcalfe got involved in Chicago politics during the 1950s, serving on the city council and as an alderman. He eventually sought a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, winning the race for Illinois’ 1st District in 1970. In his first term, he co-founded the Congressional Black Caucus. Metcalfe served in that seat until his death in 1978.

Jack Kemp’s football career was a bit of an afterthought, as he was selected in the 17th round of the 1957 NFL Draft out of Occidental College. The quarterback bounced around several teams before proving his star potential in the AFL with the Los Angeles Chargers in 1960. Kemp later joined the Buffalo Bills, where he played for seven years, leading the team to two AFL Titles in the pre-Super Bowl era.

Following his retirement from football following the 1969 season, Kemp used his notoriety to launch his political career. Running as a Republican, he won election in 1970 representing the district covering the suburban Buffalo area. He served in congress through 1988, when he ran for president. Kemp served as the secretary of Housing and Urban Development under President George H.W. Bush, before leaving politics.

A star basketball player at Princeton, Bill Bradley was selected second overall in the 1965 NBA Draft by the New York Knicks but deferred his debut two seasons because he was studying as a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University. Bradley was a key member of the Knicks teams that won the 1970 and 1973 NBA titles. He also won a gold medal in basketball in the 1964 Olympics. He played a decade with New York and was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Bradley retired from basketball in 1977 and got into politics immediately thereafter. Without holding any other offices, he ran for and won a U.S. Senate seat representing New Jersey in 1978. He served three terms in the Senate, before campaigning unsuccessfully for the 2000 Democratic nomination for president.

Anthony Gonzalez was born and raised in Ohio and starred at wide receiver for Ohio State. He was a member of the undefeated 2006 Buckeyes team that lost in the National Championship game. After college, he was selected in the first round of the NFL draft by the Indianapolis Colts, where he played for five seasons.

After the NFL, Gonzalez worked in the tech industry before turning to politics. He won the 2018 election to represent Ohio’s 16th District, and won reelection in 2020. Gonzalez announced in late 2021 that he would not seek reelection due to family considerations and the “toxic dynamics inside our own party.” After he was one of 10 House Republicans to vote to impeach President Donald Trump, he and his family received death threats.

Though he was the third overall selection in the 1994 NFL Draft, Heath Shuler started just 22 games in his NFL career for the Washington Commanders and New Orleans Saints. He played poorly in his first two seasons with Washington and was eventually benched in his third season. Shuler never got his career back on track, as a litany of injuries forced him to retire.

Following his stint in the NFL, Shuler briefly worked in real estate before turning his attention to politics. He returned to his home state of North Carolina and won election in the state’s 11th District in 2006 as a Democrat, unseating incumbent Republican Charles Taylor. After serving three terms, Shuler opted against running for reelection.

Hall of Fame pitcher Jim Bunning played 17 MLB seasons with the Detroit Tigers, Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Los Angeles Dodgers from 1955-1971. He made the All Star team in seven different seasons, leading the National League in strikeouts three times and innings pitched twice. Bunning also pitched one of just 23 perfect games in MLB history.

Following his time in the big leagues, Bunning slowly moved his way up the political ladder. Returning to his native Kentucky, he won a seat on the Fort Thomas City Council in 1977 and then moved up to the state Senate two years later. After an unsuccessful bid for governor, Bunning was elected to the House in 1986, representing Kentucky’s 4th District. After serving as a representative for 12 years, he won a seat in the U.S. Senate. Bunning served two six-year terms in the Senate before retiring.

Though he played just eight NHL seasons, Ken Dryden is one of the most accomplished hockey players of all time. The Montreal Canadiens goalie won six Stanley Cups, earned five Vezina trophies as the NHL’s top netminder, made six All-Star teams, and was eventually inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Dryden was active in hockey after his NHL career, working as a TV commentator for NHL games as well as the president and general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs. He also wrote several books about the sport. Dryden entered the political arena in 2004, when he was elected to Canada’s Parliament as a member of the Liberal Party, representing York Centre, Ontario. Dryden served three terms before losing his seat in the 2011 election.

Jack Mildren was a standout quarterback at the University of Oklahoma. But in the NFL, Mildren made the switch to defense, playing safety for the Baltimore Colts and New England Patriots for three seasons.

After his football career, Mildren worked in the oil and gas industry before getting involved in politics. He was elected lieutenant governor of Oklahoma in 1990 and ran for governor four years later, but lost.

Dave Bing was an immediate NBA star after being drafted second overall by the Detroit Pistons, winning Rookie of the Year. During his 13-year Hall of Fame career, Bing averaged 20 points and six rebounds per game. He made seven All Star teams and led the NBA in scoring his sophomore season.

Bing returned to Detroit for his career second act. He stepped into the race for Detroit’s mayor in 2009 to replace previous mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, who was jailed for perjury. Kilpatrick’s tenure was marred by mismanagement and left Detroit with a massive budget deficit. Bing helped stem the tide of financial issues in Detroit until 2013, when he opted not to run for reelection.

Bob Mathias was one of America’s first Olympic superstars. At just 17, he became the youngest person to win an Olympic track and field event when he took gold in the decathlon in the 1948 Olympics. Mathias was a star running back at Stanford University. While in school, he won his second gold in the 1952 Olympics.

After his Olympic career, Mathias worked as an actor in movies and television. In 1966, he ran for representative of California’s 18th District. He served four terms. After his political career, he worked as the director of the U.S. Olympic Training Center.

Liberian striker George Weah is one of the most accomplished players in soccer history. A standout in European soccer from the late 1980s through the early 2000s, Weah won major trophies with AC Milan, Chelsea, and Paris Saint-Germain. He also earned the 1995 Ballon D’Or award as the top player in the world.

Throughout nearly all of Weah’s career, his country was embroiled in a civil war. From 1989-2003, about a quarter-million Liberians were killed in the fighting. Weah’s play for the Liberian national team helped bring the country together to end the civil war and made him incredibly popular. He won a seat in the Senate in 2014 and was elected president in 2018 – the first peaceful transition of power between two elected leaders of Liberia in almost 75 years.

For over a decade, Tom McMillen was a solid NBA center. Playing for the Atlanta Hawks, Washington Bullets, Buffalo Braves, and New York Knicks, he averaged eight points and four rebounds per game.

McMillen always had an eye on life outside of basketball, for example, – delaying his NBA career to be a Rhodes Scholar following his time at the University of Maryland. In 1986, he retired from the NBA to pursue his political ambitions. McMillen served in the House from 1987-1993, representing Maryland’s 4th District. Just afterwards, he served as the co-chair of the President’s Commission on Physical Fitness from 1993-1998.