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Could a track superstar be successful in the NFL?

Sports Asked by user20545 on March 28, 2021

Could an Olympic track star, such as Usain Bolt, see success in NFL Football, as a wide receiver or cornerback? Would their speed translate to NFL success? Or does olympic-gold-medal-winning sprinting speed not necessarily translate to NFL greatness?

One Answer

Track stars have been successful in the NFL in the past, but not necessarily pure track stars. Bullet Bob Hayes, for example, won two gold medals in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics (one individual, one relay) and tied or set world records in both events; he then went on to have a long NFL career as a wide receiver, primarily with the Dallas Cowboys, and was inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2009. Jim Thorpe won gold medals in the Pentathalon and Decathalon in the 1912 Stockholm Olypmics, and then went on to a career in the NFL and other sports, being part of the inaugural Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 1965 as a result. Several other current and former NFL players had track backgrounds, either at the college or occasionally Olympic levels.

What they have in common, though, is that they also played football in college. Hayes played for Florida A&M, and excelled, and Thorpe was a star player on the Carlisle football team. No track star has gone on to have a meaningful NFL career without prior football experience, although some have had only limited experience; more common of a transition has been basketball players, where several of the great tight ends of recent history have come from basketball - Antonio Gates for example played only basketball in college (though he had football experience from high school). A player like Usain Bolt would have challenges learning the different skills in football that are more complex than simply running fast, having zero football background.

The closest direct comparison to what you suggest is probably Jim Hines, who won gold in the 100M in 1968 Mexico City Olympics. He was drafted by the Miami Dolphins in the sixth round that year, and appeared in all of eleven games from 1969 to 1970, due to his lack of football skills.

Of course, the other comparison is to Usain Bolt himself, who did join a football team for a while - not American football, of course, but the Soccer variety. That failed miserably for similar reasons; he is a very, very fast man, but instincts and strategy can't be learned in a short period of time.

Answered by Joe on March 28, 2021

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