Michael Jordan wanted to become a meteorologist? Walter Davis followed in the footsteps of Leslie
Knope? While degrees are just degrees, these sports stars and more have some surprising
findings! Keep watching to see what they studied in college — from meteorology to aerospace!
Von Miller entered the NFL in 2011 and has played for the Denver Broncos,
the Los Angeles Rams, and the Buffalo Bills, earning two Super Bowl rings along the way.
He also earned something else, though: a bachelor's degree in poultry science.
If you're unfamiliar with poultry science,
you're not alone. According to the University of Georgia's Department of Poultry Science:
"Students study the genetics, embryology, and physiology of the bird,
nutrition, diseases, poultry and poultry products, economics and business."
Miller pursued his field of study at Texas A&M because, well, the man loves chickens
and he loves raising them in his spare time. In 2013, USA Today reported that Miller spent his
third year with the Broncos raising 38 chicks after purchasing them during the offseason.
He kept the birds on his eight-acre property outside of Dallas. As he's moved to other cities,
he's kept his passion for chickens going. While taking ESPN on a tour
of his chicken farm in Texas, he shared that he fell into this hobby by accident.
"It started out by taking the easy class in college, then before you know it, it's my major."
Since graduating from the University of California, Berkeley, in 2010,
Alex Morgan has been one of the most celebrated players in soccer. She also has a long list of
career accomplishments. She's won both an Olympic gold medal and two World Cups with the U.S.
Women's National Team. However, her degree from Berkeley has nothing to do with sports at all.
Instead, she earned a degree in Political Economy, specializing in industrial
societies. That area of study focuses on the relationships between people,
governments, and overall public policy. So, when you think about it, it's more in
line with someone who wants to be a professional politician or an employee of the State Department.
As for what she hoped to do with that degree?
Play soccer. It was always soccer. In an interview with Reuters, Morgan recalled a
note she gave her mother when she was a kid that shows she had her eyes on the prize early on.
"It said, 'Dear mom, my dream is to be a professional soccer player.
Love, Ali.' My mom kept that for years."
Michael Jordan is one of the best players in basketball history,
and he also managed to build a massive second career around sports merchandising.
He dominated the courts for years and is widely recognized as one of the best professional
athletes of all time, but that doesn't mean it's the career he always imagined for himself.
Growing up, Jordan wanted to be a meteorologist, so when it came time to choose his degree path,
he followed his initial dream. He accepted a basketball scholarship from the University of
North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he majored in coastal geography. Jordan explained what it
was all about during a Q&A session at his basketball camp for kids, saying:
"It's an introduction to meteorology. I always wanted to be the weatherman [...] that's
what I really wanted to do. So, if I wasn't playing basketball or baseball,
I was going to tell you what the weather was going to be like tomorrow."
Jordan didn't complete his degree the first time around,
but he eventually returned. As he once told The New York Times:
"My father used to say that it's never too late to do anything you wanted to do."
Eli Manning played 16 seasons for the New York Giants
and retired with two Super Bowl wins to his name. Like his famous father, Archie Manning,
Eli attended the University of Mississippi, better known as Ole Miss.
He balanced football with schoolwork, and ultimately earned a marketing degree.
Eli's chosen area of study has been helpful throughout his career,
on and off the field. If there's one thing Eli and the rest of the Manning family have done well,
including his brother Peyton Manning, it's market themselves. Since retiring from the NFL,
Eli has taken a job with BVP, a private equity firm, which Bloomberg described as
one that grows companies through brand marketing and business development.
Dhani Jones was drafted in 2000 to play for the New York Giants.
Later, he went on to play for the Philadelphia Eagles, New Orleans Saints, and the Cincinnati
Bengals. He retired from the sport in 2010 with 11 seasons under his belt and has gone
on to work outside the NFL by hosting shows on the Travel Channel, VH1, and CNBC. One of the
reasons he's been able to move from one career to another may have something to do with his degree.
Jones attended the University of Michigan,
where he played for multiple seasons and won numerous accolades throughout his college career.
An interesting aspect of the University of Michigan that sets it apart from most universities
is that students can pursue their own area of study outside the normal bounds of a
traditional academic institution. Essentially, a student can design their own degree path,
and Jones built his own major, which he called, as his HuffPost bio notes, "self-representation."
When Jones graduated, he became the first and only person with a degree in self-representation,
and he's used what he learned to his advantage. Since leaving the NFL,
he's represented himself in various areas of the entertainment industry.
He hosted "Adventure Capitalists" for CNBC, where he sought entrepreneurs for investment.
"We take risks! We embrace it! And we invest in it."
He's also hosted "Dhani Tackles the Globe" on the Travel Channel, and for VH1,
he acted as the presenter on "Ton of Cash."
Allyson Felix has been a dominating force in the world of women's track and field for years. She's
won numerous awards, including seven gold medals at the Olympics, and has become a leading figure
in her field. She has also been named twice on Time Magazine's list of the 100 Most Influential
People, so hers is a name most people are familiar with, even if they don't follow the sport.
Felix began competing professionally as soon as she left high school, but that didn't stop
her from attending the University of Southern California to pursue a bachelor's degree in
elementary education. Felix made a promise to her father to complete her education, and she
worked hard to finish her degree following her professional running career out of high school.
Ellis Hobbs was drafted out of Iowa State by the New England Patriots in 2005.
He played with the team until being traded to the Philadelphia Eagles in 2009. Unfortunately,
his professional football career came to an end in 2011 due to a second devastating neck injury.
While that ended his time on the field, he did have a backup plan,
thanks to his degree in art and design. Ellis completed the degree while playing
for the Patriots. That was primarily due to a promise he made to his mother,
Nettie Hobbs. Nettie told the Iowa State University News Service:
"Anything can take him away from football, but now he can say,
'I have a degree from Iowa State University.' And I can say,
'My son graduated from Iowa State University.' And be proud of it. It's just wonderful."
These days, Hobbs is focusing on a new career path, in finance.
Shaquille O'Neal has been a significant fixture of professional sports since the early 1990s.
He was drafted by the Orlando Magic in 1992 as the first overall pick, and later headed west as
a free agent in 1996 to play for the Los Angeles Lakers. He went on to play for the Miami Heat,
the Phoenix Suns, the Cleveland Cavaliers, and the Boston Celtics before he retired from the NBA in
2011. The man has a long list of accomplishments, and several of them are actually academic.
"I took the SAT once. Didn't pass it. So I took the ACT, rhyme style."
O'Neal has been a serious scholar for much of his adult life.
He fulfilled a promise to his parents when he graduated from Louisiana State University
with a degree in general studies in 2000. Per ABC News, he said at the time:
"It took eight years, it should have taken six or seven. I had some other engagements."
After completing his undergrad, O'Neal earned an MBA from the University of Phoenix in 2005
while a member of the Miami Heat. He still wasn't done with his studies,
receiving a doctorate in education from Barry University in 2012.
Safety Myron Rolle was a professional football player only briefly. Drafted by the Tennessee
Titans in 2010, he was on an NFL roster for just a couple of seasons - never getting in
a regular season game - before leaving the game to pursue his true passion: neurology.
Rolle is not only incredibly smart, but he's a driven man who embraced his education. According
to ESPN, he began studying at St. Edmund Hall in 2009 after being awarded a Rhodes Scholarship,
putting his NFL career on hold so he could attend Oxford, where he earned a Master of Science in
medical anthropology. In 2017, he graduated from Florida State University's College of Medicine,
then went on to serve his neurosurgery residency at Massachusetts General
and Harvard Medical School, where he became a Global Neurosurgery Fellow.
Rolle is one of the few top athletes to give up on sports to focus on his academic career instead,
and the world is better for it.
"We have an epilepsy surgery today, it's one of the surgeries that we were
able to stay on schedule despite COVID-19. Got to get to work!"
Megan Rapinoe is another highly influential athlete, both on and off the field. She
joined Allyson Felix on Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People of 2020 list, which recognized
her for her LGBTQ+ activism and her talent on the field. Rapinoe has long been considered one of the
best players in professional soccer. She's even racked up some serious accolades throughout her
career, including winning the Golden Boot for the top scorer at the 2019 Women's World Cup.
Rapinoe focused on sociology for her undergrad at the University of Portland,
and she graduated with a degree in that field in 2008.
While she doesn't appear to be falling back on her sociology degree anytime soon,
Rapinoe's activism continues to steer towards education.
She's worked with the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network and other organizations to
eliminate discrimination against LGBTQ children in K-12 schools. Rapinoe continues to use her
platform to promote positivity in athletics and LGBTQ inclusion across multiple areas of society.
"I think the big picture ultimately is just giving that message
that you should fight for what you believe in."
David Robinson is one of the most acclaimed players in basketball history.
Robinson played for the San Antonio Spurs from 1989 to 2003, winning two NBA titles,
as well as an MVP trophy, and two Olympic gold medals among many other awards.
He was also named to the NBA's 50th and 75th anniversary teams, and was elected not once
but twice to both the Basketball Hall of Fame and the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame.
So as you might not be expecting, he attended the U.S. Naval Academy, where he studied mathematics.
In fact, when he graduated, Robinson owed some time to Uncle Sam,
so he had to delay his NBA career while he served two years in the Navy. During his time, Robinson
achieved the rank of Lieutenant Junior Grade before he was finished. Despite his actual rank,
his fellow players nicknamed him "The Admiral," a moniker he kept throughout his entire career.
Among his peers, Robinson was known for his intellect, and his study of mathematics was
something he was passionate about pursuing. His education didn't stop with his undergrad,
though. In 2012, he earned a Master of Arts in administration from the University of the
Incarnate Word. Robinson explained his academic interests to San Antonio Magazine, saying:
"I decided to get a master's because in a lot of things I'm doing — whether
in philanthropy or business — I felt like I was a little behind."
Kevin Willis was in the game for a long time. He started out with the Atlanta Hawks in 1984
and continued playing on various teams until he finished out his career in 2007 at the age of 44.
This makes him one of the oldest players in league history.
When he finally ended his basketball career, though, Willis fell back on his
degree from Michigan State University, where he studied fashion and textiles.
Like many of his peers in the NBA,
Willis puts his name on a lot of clothing. That said, he's not exactly like the other players
because he doesn't lend his name to established brands. Instead, he designs his own line of
clothes. After leaving the NBA, he launched his second career as a fashion designer.
One of the reasons he got into fashion was his height,
which led him to start Willis & Walker, a bespoke clothing line designed for taller men.
In 2012, he hosted a fashion show for his spring/summer collection. Fashion is truly
Willis' passion, he shared his thoughts on the subject with Crossover, once saying:
"Although the NBA has definitely opened doors for me [...] if I had
the education and resources that kids have at their disposal today,
I probably wouldn't have gone pro and would have become a fashion designer."
Cameron Fleming began his professional career in 2014 when the New England Patriots drafted
him in the 4th round. Since then, he's played for the Dallas Cowboys, the New York Giants,
and the Denver Broncos. And while he's made a nice lump of money playing football, he has a
super solid degree from Stanford University that all but guaranteed he could find a job.
You know how people like to say "it's not rocket science" when describing something that's
not complicated? Well, Fleming is an actual expert on what is and isn't rocket science:
He graduated from Stanford University with a degree in aeronautics and astronautics. When
most people follow that degree path, they continue into graduate school to further their studies,
but Fleming didn't do that. Instead, he went into the NFL and pursued his other passion.
Still, his degree makes him highly employable should he ever decide to use it.
Few people ever study and receive their undergraduate degrees in aeronautics
and astronautics, which means there aren't many people qualified for that type of work.
Fleming told ESPN that he sees aerospace as a potential backup career after his NFL
career. When the outlet asked why he studied what he did, he said:
"It was an interesting major. It always kept me engaged. Kept me
very busy as well. But it was something I wanted to do, and I just went for it."
Venus Williams and her sister Serena Williams are two of the most accomplished tennis stars to ever
play the sport. She's played at every major event since she began her career and has taken home
numerous titles, gold medals, and everything else a world-class tennis star can achieve.
Venus' skills on the court are well known worldwide, but she's capable in many other
areas outside of tennis. She went to the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale, where she not only
earned an associate's degree in fashion design, but graduated with honors. As she told Oprah:
"You have to feel confident in what you're wearing."
She's used her degree in her second job with the establishment of her own fashion line, EleVen.
The tennis icon later continued her education and earned a bachelor's in business administration
from Indiana University East in 2015. That degree has helped her develop a successful business,
but evidently, she's set on adding another degree to her resume.
According to the Daily Mail, Venus Williams has expressed a desire to earn an MBA at some point.
Whether or not that happens, she has proven her business acumen via
a number of business ventures that have netted her tens of millions of dollars.
You need to have a lot of talent to play professional ball in the NBA,
and Clifford Ray has no shortage. His professional career began in 1971 with the Chicago Bulls.
A decade later, he ended his career as a player with the Golden State Warriors.
Ray's time on the court wasn't completely finished though,
as he spent the next few decades coaching or assistant-coaching seven teams. His coaching
career included the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Orlando Magic, the Boston Celtics, and more.
While he was undoubtedly a presence on the court, he's probably best remembered these days for his
time coaching. However, neither of his NBA roles had anything to do with his education.
Ray graduated with a BFA in musical performance from the University of Oklahoma.
He has long been a fan of music, and he can play pretty much any woodwind instrument,
but so far, he hasn't pursued music as a career.
Walter Davis entered the NBA in the 1977 draft,
and he remained an active player for 15 years, spending most of his time playing
with the Phoenix Suns. He was a six-time NBA All-Star, an Olympic gold medalist,
and 1978's Rookie of the Year, so it's safe to say the man knows how to handle himself on the court.
You might think that someone with that kind of record would pursue an area of study that has
something to do with playing the game, right? Well, Davis didn't take that route. Instead,
while he attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill,
he focused on something truly surprising, earning a degree in parks and recreation.
"Listen. I need you two to teach me everything you know about basketball."
Ultimately, Davis didn't use his degree to work in a municipal office.
He decided to spread his wings in broadcasting and as a scout. He also opened a travel agency.
Patrick Ewing is a household name among basketball fans. Selected with the first
overall draft pick by the New York Knicks in 1985, he's widely considered one of the greatest
players in NBA history, and since leaving the court, he's transitioned into coaching.
Ewing worked as an assistant coach on four NBA teams
before settling in with Georgetown University as the head coach in 2017.
Coaching at Georgetown was a natural fit for Ewing, as it was his alma mater.
In fact, he graduated from Georgetown with a degree in fine arts. And he has put it to use:
In 1999, he co-wrote "In the Paint," a book that teaches young artists how to express themselves.
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