As approximately 10,500 athletes from around the world participate in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, the NFL has witnessed its share of past gold medal winners.
Despite football not being a sanctioned Olympic sport, the league has seen some of its own athletes crossover into another sport to compete against the world’s best.
Which NFL Players Have Won Olympic Gold Medals?
We have to go back to the 1910s to see when past gridiron greats first proved they can run with the world’s best. Here is the complete list of gold medal winners who played in the NFL.
Jim Thorpe, Canton Bulldogs | Decathlon, 1912
Arguably one of the greatest athletes to have ever lived, Jim Thorpe was the original crossover athlete who went for gold.
The Pro Football Hall of Famer trekked to Stockholm and snatched gold in the decathlon — which is comprised of 10 different track and field events, including the 100-meter dash, pole vault, javelin throw, and discus. Thorpe also claimed gold in the pentathlon event.
Thorpe was so dominant in that summer event that even King Gustav V of Sweden told the football legend, “You, sir, are the greatest athlete in the world.” Thorpe’s arrival in the NFL eventually helped spark the league’s popularity as the league’s first gold medal winner.
Jack Spellman, Providence Steamrollers | Wrestling, 1924
Jack Spellman was the lone wrestler who embarked on a football career after the Olympics.
Competing in the light heavyweight division, Spellman claimed gold in the Paris games.
From there, he went on to win an NFL championship with the Providence Steamrollers in 1928.
Jim Bausch, Chicago Cardinals | Decathlon, 1932
Jim Bausch took part in the first L.A. Olympic games held in the summer of 1932.
He went on to deliver stellar performances in the shot put and discus portion of the decathlon to help spearhead his gold victory.
One year later, Bausch found his way onto the Chicago Cardinals’ roster.
Milt Campbell, Cleveland Browns | Decathlon, 1956
Milt Campbell was a 22-year-old when he made Olympic history at the games in Melbourne, Australia.
The former Cleveland Browns fullback became the first African-American gold medal winner in the decathlon. He also set a record time of 13.4 seconds in the 120-yard hurdles.
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Campbell went on to spend most of his gridiron career in the Canadian Football League by playing for Hamilton, Montreal, and Toronto.
Bob Hayes, Dallas Cowboys | Track and Field, 1964
“Bullet” Bob Hayes holds this rare distinction to this day — he’s the only athlete to own gold and a Super Bowl ring.
But he earned the former accolade before his legendary Dallas Cowboys career began. Hayes blazed the 100-meter in 10.05 seconds at the Tokyo games to claim the highest medal, and that time dubbed him the world’s fastest human. Hayes also helped anchor the U.S.’s 400-meter relay team in its gold medal run, clocking in at 39.06 seconds to shatter a then-world record.
Hayes went on to earn three Pro Bowl nominations in his first three NFL seasons from 1965-67. He’s also known to Cowboys fans for helping bring back the franchise’s first Super Bowl title during the 1971 season.
Henry Carr, New York Giants | Track and Field, 1964
Hayes wasn’t the only gold-medal NFL representative in the ’64 games.
Henry Carr snatched two golds in the Tokyo event — winning the 200-meter dash and helping anchor the 4×400-meter relay team.
Carr then played safety for the New York Giants from 1965-67.
Glenn Davis, Detroit Lions | Track and Field, 1956 and 1960
While Glenn Davis snatched gold in the 1956 event held in Melbourne for the 400-meter hurdles, the former Detroit Lions wide receiver delivered his most dominating Olympics in Rome.
Davis hopped over to gold in two events on the track in Italy — the 400-meter hurdles then ran one of the legs for the U.S. 4×400-meter relay team.
The former Ohio State Buckeye went on to start in two total regular season games with the Lions from 1960-61.
Jim Hines, Miami Dolphins | Track and Field, 1968
Jim Hines went from sixth-round draft pick by the Miami Dolphins to competing in the 1968 games held in Mexico City.
Hines ran off with two gold medals in the 100-meter dash and the 4×100-meter relay race. But his most talked about performance was the former, which featured a discrepancy in final time before eventually being recorded as finishing at 9.9 seconds.
He played two seasons with Miami then the 1969 season with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Tommie Smith, Cincinnati Bengals | Track and Field, 1968
Known for his famed fist pump during the playing of the national anthem in Mexico City, Smith was also momentarily an NFL wide receiver.
Smith’s gold medal performance in the 200-meter race came before he joined the Cincinnati Bengals in 1969. Smith played just one season in the NFL.
Smith was honored by his alma mater San José State in 2005 alongside John Carlos with their victory salute statue, which is near the Spartans’ home football stadium.
Gerald Tinker, Atlanta Falcons | Track and Field, 1972
Gerald Tinker competed for gold before his own NFL career started in 1974.
He became the third leg for the U.S.’s 4×100-meter relay team that snatched the gold in the Munich games. They raced to a time of 38.19 and featured his cousin Larry Black.
Tinker made his way to the Atlanta Falcons via the second round of the 1974 NFL Draft. He also had a brief stop with the Green Bay Packers in 1975.
Ron Brown, Los Angeles Rams | Track and Field, 1984
The Los Angeles native Ron Brown became a local athlete competing inside the famed L.A. Memorial Coliseum in the ’84 games.
He won over his home city by handling the second leg of America’s 4×100-meter relay team, claiming the gold with a world record time of 37.83 seconds. Brown happened to be one of two NFL players who ran with that relay team, joining Sam Graddy.
Brown, who got drafted by the Browns in 1983, never played a down for the franchise and instead started his NFL journey with the hometown Los Angeles Rams. He went on to lead the league with an astonishing 32.8 yards per kickoff return average in 1985, culminating in his lone Pro Bowl appearance.
Sam Graddy, Denver Broncos | Track and Field, 1984
As mentioned above, Graddy and Brown formed the rare NFL tandem for the record-breaking 1984 relay team.
On the solo side, Graddy took silver in the 100-meter at the same summer games. The L.A. games were the only Olympics he competed in.
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Graddy didn’t start his NFL career until 1987 with the Broncos. He finished his career with the Los Angeles Raiders in 1992.
James Jett, Los Angeles Raiders | Track and Field, 1992
Eight years after Brown and Graddy represented the NFL at the summer games, the former Raider James Jett became next to help anchor the relay team.
Jett helped comprise the newest gold medal-winning 4×100-meter team at the Barcelona games in Spain, netting a time of 38.95 seconds.
One year after Barcelona, Jett went on to deliver 10 seasons with the Raiders. He hauled in 256 career receptions for 4,417 yards and scored 30 total touchdowns.
