Celebs Who Were Athletes in High School, From Kate Middleton to Will Ferrell
Celebs Who Were Athletes in High School, From Kate Middleton to Will Ferrell
It doesn't seem fair that these celebs are not only talented singers, actors, and performers, but also athletic. At the same time, there's something about seeing them compete that makes us think... Stars, they're just like us. Read on to find out what sports these celebs played in high school and beyond.
Sheryl Crow
Sheryl was on the track and field team in high school. The singer told ET in 2011 that she went to the state championships for hurdles. Now she runs for charities and looks good doing it.
Avril Lavigne
"Sk8r Boi"? More like Sk8r Girl. Punk princess Avril was in ice skates by the time she was 2. The Canadian-born singer even revealed she brings rollerblades with her on tour so that she can play street hockey.
Jamie Foxx
In high school, Jamie wore the no. 13 jersey on his basketball team. Today, the singer/actor still likes to go out and shoot hoops and is an avid Dallas Mavericks fan.
Britney Spears
Britney was still in high school when she rose to singing stardom, but before her career took off, she was on her school basketball team. FWIW, she still has a great shot.
Will Ferrell
No, Will's soccer days were not limited to Kicking and Screaming. The actor was on the soccer team in high school, and now he is an owner of Los Angeles FC.
George Clooney
When George was 16, he wanted to be a pro baseball player and even tried out for the Cincinnati Reds. Though he never got a contract, George didn't let that negatively impact his love for the team.
2 Chainz
2 Chainz was a Division I basketball recruit out of North Clayton High School in College Park, Georgia. The 6-foot-5-inch rapper went on to play one season at Alabama State University, where he saw time in 24 out of 29 games, according to ESPN.
Nina Dobrev
In high school, Nina participated in pretty much every sport imaginable: volleyball, soccer, baseball (yes, with boys), basketball, and flag football. She's also a talented gymnast. Today, the actress participates in celebrity sporting events, like the Celebrity Beach Bowl.
Jason Sudeikis
Jason played basketball at various schools, and he even played against some future stars. "People always ask me about auditions and getting nervous," Jason told ESPN. "I always remember this moment where I'm playing against Tyronn Lue. I come down and throw some no-look pass. We score a bucket, he comes down and breaks me down. I get the ball from the inbounds and he's guarding me at full court. I think I even made the joke, 'Oh, you watched a lot of the 'NBA Superstars' videos too.'"
Denzel Washington
Denzel grew up playing pickup basketball, which eventually led him to Fordham University in the Bronx. According to his teammates, Denzel was great on defense and not so good at shooting, but his tenacity made up for any mistakes he made.
Ellen DeGeneres
The talk show host loves tennis, and talks about it on The Ellen DeGeneres Show frequently. She even plays in the occasional celeb tournament and tried to set tennis star Naomi Osaka up with Michael B. Jordan.
Matthew McConaughey
Matthew was once ranked one of Hollywood's top 100 golfers, and he regularly appears in golf events. He even claims to have made four hole-in-ones, which is an impressive feat.
Elsa Hosk
Elsa is best known for being a Victoria's Secret model, but she also played professional basketball in Sweden for two years. Sometimes the star shares her skills on Instagram.
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson
Before he was a WWE wrestler, The Rock was a defensive lineman for the University of Miami—and I have no doubt that he intimidated people on the field.
Gwen Stefani
Gwen got that amazing body from years on the swim team. That's right, the singer and Voice coach was an active member in the pool at Loara High School.
Steve Carell
The actor was an ice hockey goalie in high school. "At a certain point, you either have to commit to that as a potential career or let it become a fun hobby," he told ESPN in 2013. "That happened in high school. I had to think about whether I was going to a Division I college hockey program and fight for a job of a goaltender or do something else." He decided to play for fun at Division III Denison University in Ohio. Later, he got to show off his skills in The Office during the episode known as "Michael's Birthday."
Renée Zellweger
Bridget Jones' Diary star Renée showed off her high school cheerleading skills on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. The actress still has an impressive high kick, BTW.
Tommy Lee Jones
Who knew that Tommy has the brawn and the brains? The Oscar-winning actor was an offensive lineman for Harvard University, where he studied English.
Jane Lynch
Jane is a proud Cubs fan, but she also plays some sports herself. The actress and Hollywood Game Night host played softball and basketball in high school. Even though she didn't love basketball as much, she got recruited because of her height.
Terry Crews
In 1991, Terry was drafted in the 11th round of the NFL Draft to the Los Angeles Rams. The America's Got Talent host remained in the pro football scene until 1997, when he turned to acting.
Kate Middleton
The Duchess of Cambridge participated in field hockey throughout her life and even played at university. She appeared at England's Olympic team practice before the 2012 London Olympics and showed off her impressive moves.
Hugh Jackman
Hugh took most of his pent-up childhood anger out in rugby, he told People in 2015. Today, he's a fan of the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles, an NRL team based in north Sydney.
Geena Davis
Geena truly is in a league of her own. The actress was ranked the 13th overall best archer in the U.S. and came in 24th in the Olympic Trials in 1999, according to HuffPost.
Ed O'Neill
After spending his college career at Youngstown State, the Modern Family star got signed as an undrafted free agent to the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1969, but was cut during training. He sold cars and was a substitute teacher until he made it big, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Tom Cruise
Tom is just one Hollywood star who played soccer in their earlier days. He also wrestled, but was sidelined due to an injury, which led him to try out for a role in his school's production of Guys and Dolls. It must have been fate.
Josh Duhamel
If you ask us, Josh definitely looks like a QB, which makes sense because he was one for Minot State University in North Dakota. During his two seasons, his completion rate was 50 percent.
Charlie Sheen
I guess you could say Charlie has a lot in common with his Major League character, Rick "Wild Thing" Vaughn. Charlie was the relief pitcher for Santa Monica High when he attended.
Kate Hudson
The movie star and Fabletics owner could have had a completely different career. Kate was pretty serious about soccer growing up, but she cared about acting and dancing more, so she eventually had to let it go.
Justin Timberlake
Justin joined his first golf club when he was 12, and he hasn't stopped golfing since. "There aren't many places I can go where I don't feel like I'm being watched," he told Golf.com. "But the golf course is one of them. It's my refuge. It's where I get a chance to be alone in the world."
Channing Tatum
After being voted most athletic at Tampa Catholic High School, where he played football and ran track, Channing received a scholarship to play football at a college in West Virginia—which he didn't truly enjoy. "I just got tired of playing," Channing told ESPN. "I was only playing to keep that scholarship. I was interested in other things and missing home."
Ryan Seacrest
Ryan didn't just play football. He was good at football. The TV personality and radio show host was defensive back and evidently could knock the crap out of people, according to Business Insider.
Chris Pratt
In high school, Chris was often found in the wrestling ring. He still uses those talents today to get in a good workout.
Mark Harmon
Before he was catching criminals on NCIS and trying to marry Jamie Lee Curtis in Freaky Friday, Mark was the starting quarterback for two years at UCLA. He followed in the steps of his father, who is Heisman Trophy winner Tom Harmon.
Mahershala Ali
Mahershala has the ups. The Academy Award-winning actor played basketball at Saint Mary's College, where he studied communications.
Burt Reynolds
The late actor was a halfback for Florida State University. But Burt suffered from three major injuries during his sophomore year, which sidelined him for two years.
Sam Hunt
Before Sam was a country singer, he was the quarterback for the University of Alabama Birmingham. In his second season, he threw 1,905 yards with 10 touchdown passes.
Jason Statham
A video resurfaced in 2018 of the the movie star diving in the 1990 Commonwealth Games. Jason didn't perform well, but at least we know how he got that impressive swimmer's body.
Kurt Russell
Before turning to acting, Kurt was in the minor leagues. He primarily played second base and hit well into the 300s.
Amanda Seyfried
Amanda shows her love for tennis by attending the U.S. Open year after year. While on set for Letters to Juliet, the actress played with her costar Vanessa Redgrave to burn off the calories consumed in Italy.
Gigi Hadid
Gigi moved to New York to pursue modeling immediately after her high school graduation, but before she blew up in the fashion world, she was a high school volleyball star.
James Dean
The Rebel Without a Cause actor was a basketball star on his high school team, The Fairmount High Quakers, in his hometown in Indiana.
Jon Stewart
Jon Stewart started as a walk on, but eventually earned a spot on the varsity soccer team at William and Mary. "He wasn't the best player, but he was a good player. His journey speaks to the type of person he is. He's very hard working and not easily discouraged," his former coach, Al Albert, told ESPN.
Hailey Bieber
Today, she makes headlines for her fashion campaigns or her highly-publicized marriage to Justin Bieber. But before Hailey's rise to fame, she trained as a ballerina. The model once danced for the Miami City Ballet and trained at the prestigious American Ballet Theater.
Who knew Kate Middleton played field hockey?