Carl Weathers, who played Apollo Creed in the Rocky films and had roles in Predator, Happy Gilmore, and The Mandalorian, died at 76 years old. His manager, Matt Luber, said Weathers died on Thursday, and his family issued a statement saying he died “peacefully in his sleep.”
Before Weathers became a star in Hollywood, he was a name on the football field, playing professionally for five seasons in the NFL and CFL. He played for two future Hall of Fame coaches during his short time as a football player.
Carl Weathers’ Football Career
After a year at Long Beach City College, Weathers transferred to San Diego State to play for future Hall of Fame coach Don Coryell. He played defensive end for the Aztecs, who went 11-0 and won the Pasadena Bowl in his last season.
Weathers wanted to play professional football, but acting was already on his mind in college.
He told the Washington Post in 1979, “I finally thought I was a jock and owed myself a shot at pro ball. At the same time, I didn’t want to study the things you had to if you wanted to be a PE major. So I found myself thinking of the theater arts department.”
Weathers added, “I started doing a few small things in class and discovered I had a proficiency for it. My reading was awful, but I got a walk-on in ‘A View from the Bridge.’ For the rest of school, I kept on cultivating football on one hand and acting on the other.”
Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis signed Weathers, who moved to linebacker, as an undrafted free agent in 1970. Weathers played for another future Hall of Fame coach in Oakland, John Madden. He told Rich Eisen in 2017 what it was like to play for Madden: “Scary as hell, as a rookie.”
Weathers shared with Eisen what it was like in his first training camp: “As an undrafted player, that’s like being thrown to the wolves, you know. You really have to have your stuff together. I was just fortunate enough to be a good enough athlete and worked out with a lot of great players who went on to the NFL.”
Weathers played in seven games as a rookie and one game in 1971 before he was later cut. The Raiders posted a tribute to Weathers earlier today.
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) February 2, 2024
Weathers Turns Into a Hollywood Star
Following his release from the Raiders in 1971, Weathers went on to play three seasons in the Canadian Football League with the BC Lions. He then focused his attention on being an actor and had a variety of roles in television and movies before getting a major role in “Rocky.”
Carl Weathers had John Madden and Ken Norton to thank for his role as Apollo Creed in the “Rocky” franchise.
Weathers was cut from Madden’s Raiders after dropping 20 lbs to play strong safety. Two days before camp, he was put at LB.
Norton, the real life Apollo, was supposed… pic.twitter.com/jXvPfz4jXc
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) February 2, 2024
In 1976, Weathers played Apollo Creed, who was the rival to Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky Balboa in the first Rocky, which won an Oscar for Best Picture. Weathers played Creed in the next three installments of the Rocky series.
MORE: PFN Life — Off-the-Field Content
Weathers went on to star in several movies, including Predator and Happy Gilmore, and in TV series like The Mandalorian.
Weathers played Derick “Chubbs” Peterson, who taught golf to Adam Sandler’s character, Happy Gilmore. Sandler posted this tribute.
A true great man. Great dad. Great actor. Great athlete. So much fun to be around always. Smart as hell. Loyal as hell. Funny as hell. Loved his sons more than anything. What a guy!! Everyone loved him. My wife and I had the best times with him every time we saw him. Love to… pic.twitter.com/Gi2lPWFTgt
— Adam Sandler (@AdamSandler) February 2, 2024
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