Celebrity Finn Wolfhard, Ryan Seacrest and More Celebrities Who Played Football Before the spotlight, it was all about the Friday night lights for these stars, who experienced gridiron glory in high school and college By Alex Apatoff Published on February 25, 2020 12:48 PM Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos 01 of 12 Finn Wolfhard Finn Wolfhard/Instagram "@seahawks here if you need me," the Stranger Things star captioned this adorable pic of what seems to be back from his pee-wee league glory days. 02 of 12 Ryan Seacrest Ryan Seacrest/Twitter Is this what the kids are calling a "thirst trap?" The busiest man in showbusiness has long known the importance of proper hydration. However, he'll be the first to admit that "thinking I could pull off a crop top was a personal foul." 03 of 12 Channing Tatum Seth Poppel/Yearbook Library Twinkle toes! Though football helped him develop the fleet footwork that would eventually make him a star in Step Up, it wasn't enough to keep his interest through college. "I just got tired of playing. I was only playing to keep that scholarship. I was interested in other things and missing home," Tatum told ESPN of his college career at West Virginia's Glenville State before dropping out. "It just seems that I have won the lottery now." 04 of 12 Denzel Washington Seth Poppel/Yearbook Library Though the Oscar-winning actor (pictured on his Daytona Beach, Fla. high school JV team) didn't keep up his football career, he stayed tied to the sport. He played the inspirational coach in Remember the Titans, and son John David Washington played for the St. Louis Rams before quitting to act himself. 05 of 12 Will Ferrell Seth Poppel/Yearbook Library Even as a varsity kicker at Irvine's University High School, the actor had a "class clown" streak, as evidenced by this silly shot of him with other student athletes. 06 of 12 Kenny Chesney Seth Poppel/Yearbook Library The country superstar may have traded cleats for flip-flops, but his time on the Gibbs High School football team in Corryton, Tenn. clearly had an impact on him: Just read the open letter he wrote about the power of teamwork, or check out his video for "The Boys of Fall." 07 of 12 Alec Baldwin Seth Poppel/Yearbook Library Football ran in the family for the actor, as his dad was a high school coach in the Massepequa, N.Y. community where he grew up. 08 of 12 Jamie Foxx Seth Poppel/Yearbook Library The star came by the skills he showed in Any Given Sunday naturally: He played quarterback for Terrell High School in Terrell, Texas and even set a record for passing while there. In 2018, Foxx said his daughter was carrying on his legacy: "She's playing football, she's the only girl in the league - she has three touchdowns this year," he said. "In our house, we don't mention girl or boy, we just get after it." 09 of 12 Garth Brooks Seth Poppel/Yearbook Library The country star was a team player at Yukon High School in Yukon, Okla., playing football and lending an arm as a homecoming court escort. 10 of 12 Sylvester Stallone Seth Poppel/Yearbook Library Perhaps during his time on the Devereux Manor-Hall School team in Devon, Penn., the actor got to take a practice jog around Philadelphia well before his Rocky run? 11 of 12 Willie Nelson Seth Poppel/Yearbook Library Back in 1948, when he played for Abbott High School in Abbott, Texas, Willie's grass of choice was on the football field. 12 of 12 Christopher Meloni Seth Poppel/Yearbook Library As quarterback and captain of the St. Stephen's High School team in Alexandra, Va., the former Law & Order: SVU star led his team to an undefeated season (and to a place in the high school's hall of fame). "I remember, once that happened, thinking: 'I literally can do anything I put my mind to,'" he said. "That's how I felt. That's how deeply that season affected me."