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The Rock Dwayne Johnson football career, WWE, acting | SI.com
Johnson got offers from Penn State, UCLA, Clemson, Florida State and dozens of other top programs, but he hadn't heard from the one that had transcended the sport and become a cultural touchstone: the U. And so, befitting Miami's renegade image, Johnson cold-called the school's recruiting coordinator and made his sales pitch. The next day head coach Dennis Erickson was in touch, and Johnson eventually accepted a full ride. He arrived on campus in the fall of 1990, to a team stacked with blue-chip recruits and future pros. Johnson reveled in the Hurricanes' brash culture. "Oh, man, the s--- talking was an art form," he says. "It never stopped, and it was creative. It helped me when I got into wrestling, right, tapping into all of that for the Rock."
Johnson made such a strong first impression that he was going to be the only true freshman on the team. "He had tremendous get-off, he was strong, he could use his hands, he was tough as nails, and he worked his *** off," says LSU head coach Ed Orgeron, who directed the defensive line at Miami from 1988 through '92. "Dewey was a helluva football player. I thought he had a chance to be an All-America."
And then, on the final practice of two-a-days, Johnson shredded his left shoulder, necessitating surgery. To fill his spot, the coaches later converted a big, nimble tight end named Warren Sapp. Johnson would spend the rest of his college career in the shadow of the future Hall of Famer. Four knee surgeries further stunted his development. Yet Johnson looks back on the character-building he did at Miami as the foundation of all that has followed. "People saw the ****iness, but no one knows how hard we worked," he says. "There was an accountability there, and Coach Orgeron was a big part of that. In games it seemed as if those offensive linemen were holding us on every play. Coach didn't care. I complained one time, and he got in my face and said, 'They can hold you, they can kick you in the balls, they can f------ spit in your face—are you going to cry about it or are you going to overcome that and make the play?' That's bigger than football, man. That's a whole worldview."
Still, Johnson's frustration at not being an impact player boiled over one day after practice, when he was heckled by his friend and fellow linemate Kevin Patrick. "I was always running hot because I wasn't getting the playing time that I thought I deserved," says Johnson. "The truth of the matter is Warren Sapp was just a better player, but when you're young, you can't see that. Me and Kevin were in a coach's office, and he was talking s---, as always, but this time I just lost it. It was like a movie fight—the desk got turned over, stuff was flying all over the place. We spilled out onto the weight room floor, still going at it. He wouldn't stop talking, so I decided to pull his tongue out. I stuffed my big ol' hand into his mouth, and I had a couple of fingers around his tongue, but it was so **** slippery! I was quite serious about pulling it out, but I couldn't quite get a hold of it. Eventually I gave up, the fight ended, and two minutes later we were hugging each other. It was so dumb."
Johnson ended his Miami career with 78 tackles and four sacks. No NFL team deemed him worthy to draft, so he swallowed his pride and signed with the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League before the 1995 season. Two months later he was cut, a wrenching end to his football career. Johnson headed to Tampa to live with his parents. Along the way he took an accounting of his life and realized that all he had to his name were the seven dollars in his wallet.
Johnson got offers from Penn State, UCLA, Clemson, Florida State and dozens of other top programs, but he hadn't heard from the one that had transcended the sport and become a cultural touchstone: the U. And so, befitting Miami's renegade image, Johnson cold-called the school's recruiting coordinator and made his sales pitch. The next day head coach Dennis Erickson was in touch, and Johnson eventually accepted a full ride. He arrived on campus in the fall of 1990, to a team stacked with blue-chip recruits and future pros. Johnson reveled in the Hurricanes' brash culture. "Oh, man, the s--- talking was an art form," he says. "It never stopped, and it was creative. It helped me when I got into wrestling, right, tapping into all of that for the Rock."
Johnson made such a strong first impression that he was going to be the only true freshman on the team. "He had tremendous get-off, he was strong, he could use his hands, he was tough as nails, and he worked his *** off," says LSU head coach Ed Orgeron, who directed the defensive line at Miami from 1988 through '92. "Dewey was a helluva football player. I thought he had a chance to be an All-America."
And then, on the final practice of two-a-days, Johnson shredded his left shoulder, necessitating surgery. To fill his spot, the coaches later converted a big, nimble tight end named Warren Sapp. Johnson would spend the rest of his college career in the shadow of the future Hall of Famer. Four knee surgeries further stunted his development. Yet Johnson looks back on the character-building he did at Miami as the foundation of all that has followed. "People saw the ****iness, but no one knows how hard we worked," he says. "There was an accountability there, and Coach Orgeron was a big part of that. In games it seemed as if those offensive linemen were holding us on every play. Coach didn't care. I complained one time, and he got in my face and said, 'They can hold you, they can kick you in the balls, they can f------ spit in your face—are you going to cry about it or are you going to overcome that and make the play?' That's bigger than football, man. That's a whole worldview."
Still, Johnson's frustration at not being an impact player boiled over one day after practice, when he was heckled by his friend and fellow linemate Kevin Patrick. "I was always running hot because I wasn't getting the playing time that I thought I deserved," says Johnson. "The truth of the matter is Warren Sapp was just a better player, but when you're young, you can't see that. Me and Kevin were in a coach's office, and he was talking s---, as always, but this time I just lost it. It was like a movie fight—the desk got turned over, stuff was flying all over the place. We spilled out onto the weight room floor, still going at it. He wouldn't stop talking, so I decided to pull his tongue out. I stuffed my big ol' hand into his mouth, and I had a couple of fingers around his tongue, but it was so **** slippery! I was quite serious about pulling it out, but I couldn't quite get a hold of it. Eventually I gave up, the fight ended, and two minutes later we were hugging each other. It was so dumb."
Johnson ended his Miami career with 78 tackles and four sacks. No NFL team deemed him worthy to draft, so he swallowed his pride and signed with the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League before the 1995 season. Two months later he was cut, a wrenching end to his football career. Johnson headed to Tampa to live with his parents. Along the way he took an accounting of his life and realized that all he had to his name were the seven dollars in his wallet.
