CFZ NFL and Cowboys players who have impressive academic achievements

[Bobhaze]

It’s a myth that most college football players are not the sharpest knives in the drawer or declare silly majors like “General Studies”. In fact, as of 2021, NFL players have the highest college graduation rate of any professional sport in the world. Over 40% of current NFL players have a degree by the time they enter the league, and many more get their degrees while still playing in the NFL.

There are many famous NFL players who were also brilliant in the classroom. Here are a few:

• HOF 49er QB Steve Young has a law degree from BYU.
• HOF Vikings DL Alan Page earned a doctorate in law and later served as an Assistant Attorney General and later a Minnesota Supreme Court justice.
• Former Browns QB Frank Ryan has a doctorate in mathematics from Rice University and has served as a professor in math at Cleveland‘s Case Western University.
• Former rams QB Pat Hayden was a Rhodes Scholar who studied at Oxford in England where he earned a bachelors degree in economics and political science. He later earned a law degree from Loyola University.
• Former Titans S Myron Rolle was also a Rhodes Scholar who earned a bachelor’s degree in exercise science/pre-med then earned a Master‘s in medical anthropology from Oxford University in England. He is now an intern in neurosurgery at Harvard University Hospital in Massachusetts.

There are several current and former Cowboys who earned multiple”e degrees:

• Former Cowboys OL Blaine Nye graduated from Stanford University with a bachelor's degree in physics, then later two master’s degrees- one in physics from Univ of Washington and and another in business administration from Stanford. And…after retiring he earned a doctorate degree in Finance, also from Stanford.
• Former Cowboys C Travis Frederick with a degree in computer engineering from Wisconsin where he was All Academic Big 10 for his excellence in the classroom. as well as All Big 10. He has been working on an advanced degree in computer science and has started a video game business.
• Former Cowboys WR Tony Hill graduated from Stanford in 1977 at age 20 with a degree in Political Science where he was All Academic Pac 8 player. He has started several businesses in the Dallas area and works for the City of Allen as a Resource Development Manager.
• Current QB Dak Prescott has a bachelors degree in educational psychology, a master’s degree in workforce leadership and has started his doctoral degree in psychology.

Lots of NFL players and certainly several Dallas Cowboys players have impressive academic achievements. The dumb jock reputation for football players doesn’t always apply.

 

[diamonddelts]

Dez Bryant graduated from the School of hard knocks.

 

[plasticman]

I believe Daryl Johnston graduated from Syracuse with a 4.0 average.....as in straight "A's".

Calvin Hill graduated from Yale. He is a motivational speaker and a consultant that helps NFL players deal with drug issues.

Thank you for mentioning Blaine Nye, who also created his own company, Stanford Consulting Group, which does economic analysis.

Blaine was the founder of the Zero Club which was comprised of low key Cowboys players. Their goal was to do absolutely nothing and show no interest in doing anything. Dan Reeves once requested that he be alowed to join the club and was found to be automatically ineligible simply for expressing an interest.

Blaine was also the one to describe Clint Longley's successful Thanksgiving game as "a victory of the uncluttered mind".

He was once on the cover of Sports Illustrated during a time in which the game was played on natural grass in the open. This particular game had involved a rainstorm and you could tell it was a tough fought game. He was covered from head to toe in mud. I was struck by the contradiction of a hardnose football player fighting in the trenches while also being possibly the smartest man in the game.

 

[Bobhaze]

I believe Daryl Johnston graduated from Syracuse with a 4.0 average.....as in straight "A's".

Calvin Hill graduated from Yale. He is a motivational speaker and a consultant that helps NFL players deal with drug issues.

Thank you for mentioning Blaine Nye, who also created his own company, Stanford Consulting Group, which does economic analysis.

Blaine was the founder of the Zero Club which was comprised of low key Cowboys players. Their goal was to do absolutely nothing and show no interest in doing anything. Dan Reeves once requested that he be alowed to join the club and was found to be automatically ineligible simply for expressing an interest.

Blaine was also the one to describe Clint Longley's successful Thanksgiving game as "a victory of the uncluttered mind".

He was once on the cover of Sports Illustrated during a time in which the game was played on natural grass in the open. This particular game had involved a rainstorm and you could tell it was a tough fought game. He was covered from head to toe in mud. I was struck by the contradiction of a hardnose football player fighting in the trenches while also being possibly the smartest man in the game.

Moose is a good one. Calvin Hill too. Love the stories about the “zero club”. I think the underrated Larry Cole was also a charter member, lol.

 

[Cowboys5217]

It’s a myth that most college football players are not the sharpest knives in the drawer or declare silly majors like “General Studies”. In fact, as of 2021, NFL players have the highest college graduation rate of any professional sport in the world. Over 40% of current NFL players have a degree by the time they enter the league, and many more get their degrees while still playing in the NFL.

There are many famous NFL players who were also brilliant in the classroom. Here are a few:

• HOF 49er QB Steve Young has a law degree from BYU.
• HOF Vikings DL Alan Page earned a doctorate in law and later served as an Assistant Attorney General and later a Minnesota Supreme Court justice.
• Former Browns QB Frank Ryan has a doctorate in mathematics from Rice University and has served as a professor in math at Cleveland‘s Case Western University.
• Former rams QB Pat Hayden was a Rhodes Scholar who studied at Oxford in England where he earned a bachelors degree in economics and political science. He later earned a law degree from Loyola University.
• Former Titans S Myron Rolle was also a Rhodes Scholar who earned a bachelor’s degree in exercise science/pre-med then earned a Master‘s in medical anthropology from Oxford University in England. He is now an intern in neurosurgery at Harvard University Hospital in Massachusetts.

There are several current and former Cowboys who earned multiple”e degrees:

• Former Cowboys OL Blaine Nye graduated from Stanford University with a bachelor's degree in physics, then later two master’s degrees- one in physics from Univ of Washington and and another in business administration from Stanford. And…after retiring he earned a doctorate degree in Finance, also from Stanford.
• Former Cowboys C Travis Frederick with a degree in computer engineering from Wisconsin where he was All Academic Big 10 for his excellence in the classroom. as well as All Big 10. He has been working on an advanced degree in computer science and has started a video game business.
• Former Cowboys WR Tony Hill graduated from Stanford in 1977 at age 20 with a degree in Political Science where he was All Academic Pac 8 player. He has started several businesses in the Dallas area and works for the City of Allen as a Resource Development Manager.
• Current QB Dak Prescott has a bachelors degree in educational psychology, a master’s degree in workforce leadership and has started his doctoral degree in psychology.

Lots of NFL players and certainly several Dallas Cowboys players have impressive academic achievements. The dumb jock reputation for football players doesn’t always apply.

My football experience:

Freshman Football (2A level) - had a playbook of around 60 plays.

Varsity Football (5A level) - had a playbook of nearly 200 plays.

JC football - had a playbook that was over 1000 plays and we were expected to have it down by the second day of practice.

Now granted, there were not a lot of total formations, but there was a tremendous amount of variations on each formation such as route trees, which holes for the RB to hit, options, reads, blocking assignments, shifts, motions, etc. It was a large amount of material to memorize.
That last one was harder to do than all but 2 academic classes I took while in college. I challenge anyone to do that and maintain that jocks are dumb.

 

[Bobhaze]

The great Tom Landry also had a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering from University of Texas at Austin and later a Master’s degree in industrial engineering from the University of Houston.

 

[Diehardblues]

It’s a myth that most college football players are not the sharpest knives in the drawer or declare silly majors like “General Studies”. In fact, as of 2021, NFL players have the highest college graduation rate of any professional sport in the world. Over 40% of current NFL players have a degree by the time they enter the league, and many more get their degrees while still playing in the NFL.

There are many famous NFL players who were also brilliant in the classroom. Here are a few:

• HOF 49er QB Steve Young has a law degree from BYU.
• HOF Vikings DL Alan Page earned a doctorate in law and later served as an Assistant Attorney General and later a Minnesota Supreme Court justice.
• Former Browns QB Frank Ryan has a doctorate in mathematics from Rice University and has served as a professor in math at Cleveland‘s Case Western University.
• Former rams QB Pat Hayden was a Rhodes Scholar who studied at Oxford in England where he earned a bachelors degree in economics and political science. He later earned a law degree from Loyola University.
• Former Titans S Myron Rolle was also a Rhodes Scholar who earned a bachelor’s degree in exercise science/pre-med then earned a Master‘s in medical anthropology from Oxford University in England. He is now an intern in neurosurgery at Harvard University Hospital in Massachusetts.

There are several current and former Cowboys who earned multiple”e degrees:

• Former Cowboys OL Blaine Nye graduated from Stanford University with a bachelor's degree in physics, then later two master’s degrees- one in physics from Univ of Washington and and another in business administration from Stanford. And…after retiring he earned a doctorate degree in Finance, also from Stanford.
• Former Cowboys C Travis Frederick with a degree in computer engineering from Wisconsin where he was All Academic Big 10 for his excellence in the classroom. as well as All Big 10. He has been working on an advanced degree in computer science and has started a video game business.
• Former Cowboys WR Tony Hill graduated from Stanford in 1977 at age 20 with a degree in Political Science where he was All Academic Pac 8 player. He has started several businesses in the Dallas area and works for the City of Allen as a Resource Development Manager.
• Current QB Dak Prescott has a bachelors degree in educational psychology, a master’s degree in workforce leadership and has started his doctoral degree in psychology.

Lots of NFL players and certainly several Dallas Cowboys players have impressive academic achievements. The dumb jock reputation for football players doesn’t always apply.

Well done. But there’s a major factor in why football players have a higher graduation rate. They are required to stay in college longer before being eligible for draft .

MLB most of the best talent are drafted out of high school . And of course the NBA only requires one year in college before being eligible for draft.

 

[Bobhaze]

Well done. But there’s a major factor in why football players have a higher graduation rate. They are required to stay in college longer before being eligible for draft .

MLB most of the best talent are drafted out of high school . And of course the NBA only requires one year in college before being eligible for draft.

Good points.

 

[Ranching]

Zeke has a degree in the art of contract negotiations.

 

[StarOfGlory]

My football experience:

Freshman Football (2A level) - had a playbook of around 60 plays.

Varsity Football (5A level) - had a playbook of nearly 200 plays.

JC football - had a playbook that was over 1000 plays and we were expected to have it down by the second day of practice.

Now granted, there were not a lot of total formations, but there was a tremendous amount of variations on each formation such as route trees, which holes for the RB to hit, options, reads, blocking assignments, shifts, motions, etc. It was a large amount of material to memorize.
That last one was harder to do than all but 2 academic classes I took while in college. I challenge anyone to do that and maintain that jocks are dumb.

I hear you brother! I played at Rutgers for four years, 2 1/2 as a starting LB. People don't realize the cerebral side of American football is no joke.

 

[StarOfGlory]

Might as well mention Jason Garrett's degree in History from Princeton University. How can we forget Mr. Cowboy and Annapolis? The service academies are rugged, and Roger is the last person from a service academy to win the Heisman.

 

[beware_d-ware]

I had no idea that Dak started his doctorate. Doing that AFTER he's already set for life as an NFL quarterback shows an amazing amount of motivation.

 

[shabazz]

They don't have to be a Mensa member to have sucess in the NFL like Mo Claiborne

Just maturity, drive, and the skill

 

[jazzcat22]

Didn't Jimmy Johnson have a degree in Industrial Psychology?

While Marc Levy read history books.

I think they were saying that during one of the SB's.

 

[jazzcat22]

Zeke has a degree in the art of contract negotiations.

He was very good at it. So good he could do it from Cabo.

 

[gtb1943]

Being very smart does not mean you are going to be a great football player. Jason Garret is an example of that. Also does not guarantee you are going to be a great coach,once again Garret.

And being able to remember formations is not a sign of great intelligence.

Great players have incredible drive and determination; those are the important traits.

 

[morasp]

Luke Fortner

undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering, a master’s in aerospace engineering and an MBA

 

[Hawkeye0202]

Martellus Bennett writes children's books

 

[MS17]

Might as well mention Jason Garrett's degree in History from Princeton University. How can we forget Mr. Cowboy and Annapolis? The service academies are rugged, and Roger is the last person from a service academy to win the Heisman.

Service academies--absolutely. Chad Hennings deserves a mention. Graduated from Air Force Academy (first team AA DT and Outland Trophy winner his senior yr) and became an A-10 pilot, served in the 1991 Gulf War. Played on 3 Cowboys Super Bowl winning teams. I'd say he's a distinguished former player.

 

[LatinMind]

Being very smart does not mean you are going to be a great football player. Jason Garret is an example of that. Also does not guarantee you are going to be a great coach,once again Garret.

And being able to remember formations is not a sign of great intelligence.

Great players have incredible drive and determination; those are the important traits.