From Sports to Politics

In the spirit of Election Day, here's a look at athletes and coaches who found a second career in politics.

Author:
SI Staff
Publish date:
Nov 4, 2014

From Sports to Politics

Kevin Johnson (D)

The three-time NBA All-Star added another title to his resume in November 2008, when he won a run-off election to be Sacramento's mayor. Johnson was re-elected in 2012. K.J. reached the playoffs every season after his rookie campaign, and is second behind Steve Nash on the Suns all-time assists leaders.

Bill Bradley (D)

The former NBA all-star was a Rhodes scholar and won two NBA titles with the Knicks. Bradley settled in New Jersey, was elected to the Senate in 1978 and served three terms. In 2000, Bradley ran for president, eventually losing the Democratic nomination to then-VP Al Gore.

Arnold Schwarzenegger (R)

Schwarzenegger got our attention as a bodybuilder, proclaimed "I'll be back" in The Terminator, and proved to be an astute politician, winning the governorship of California first in 2003 and again in 2006.

Jack Kemp (R)

After an accomplished NFL career in which he led the Bills to a pair of AFL championships and was the league MVP in 1965, Kemp was a Buffalo representative in the House for 18 years. He would also go on to become Secretary of Housing and Urban Development under George H. W. Bush, and the 1996 Republic Party nominee for Vice President. He passed away in May 2009.

Steve Largent (R)

Largent was the NFL's all-time leading receiver with the Seahawks (his records have since been broken by Jerry Rice) and then went on to a prosperous career in politics. He was elected to serve in Congress as a representative from Oklahoma in 1994, and he was narrowly defeated in a bid to become the state's governor in 2002.

Tom Osborne (R)

Osborne became an icon on the sidelines at Nebraska, averaging 10 wins in his 25 seasons and leading the Cornhuskers to bowl games every year. He's been nearly as popular in politics, where he served three terms as a U.S. representative in Nebraska's 3rd District.

Jim Bunning (R)

As a pitcher for the Tigers and Phillies, Bunning blew away opponents and became the second player in history to win 100 games in both the American and National leagues. In 2010 he was the oldest Republican in the Senate and did not seek re-election.

Dave Bing (D)

The 1966 NBA Rookie of the Year and a member of the league's 50th Anniversary Team, Dave Bing became Detroit's third mayor in less than a year after winning a special run-off election in May 2009. He announced on May 14, 2013, he would not run for re-election. During his term as mayor of Detroit, the city declared bankruptcy.

Jim Ryun (R)

Rich Clarkson and Michael O'Neill for Sports Illustrated

A three-time Olympian and world record holder in the mile, 1,500 meters and 800 meters, Ryun served as a representative from Kansas' 2nd District from 1996 through 2007.

Heath Shuler (D)

A Tennessee star, Shuler played for the Saints and Redskins before injuries ended his career. He returned to his home state of North Carolina, where he outsted Rep. Charles Taylor to help the Democrats take control of the U.S. House in 2006. Shuler was re-elected in 2008 and 2010.

Jon Runyan (R)

Not even one year after retiring, NFL tackle Jon Runyan found himself in route to Washington. In 2010, he defeated incumbent John Adler for a U.S. House of Representatives' seat in New Jersey's 3rd District. Runyan won re-election in 2012.

Bob Mathias (R)

At 17, Bob Mathias won his first gold medal in decathlon, only to repeat four years later at the 1952 Olympics. In 1966 he was elected to Congress and was re-elected three times, before losing in the 1974 election. He went on to become the deputy director of the Selective Service, and he assisted Gerald Ford in his presidential campaign.

Ben Nighthorse Campbell (D-R)

After competing for the United States in the 1964 Olympic Games in judo, Campbell was elected to the House of Representatives in 1987, where he served for two terms as a democrat. He became a Senator in 1992, switched parties in 1995, and was re-elected in 1998 as a republican. He retired from politics in 2005.

Alan Page

A member of the famed "Purple People Eaters" in the 1970s, Page laid the groundwork for his post-NFL career even before he retired. While with the Vikings, Page attended University of Minnesota Law School, and in 1992 he was elected to an open seat as Associate Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court. He was re-elected in 1998, again in 2004, and for a final time in 2010. Page retired before the end of his term on Aug. 7, 2015, when he reached the mandatory retirement age of 70.

Sam Wyche (R)

Sam Wyche started just nine games at quarterback in the NFL, but went on to coach eight seasons with Cincinnati and four with Tampa Bay. Wyche, who made it to the Super Bowl with the Bengals after the 1988 season, won a seat as a Republican on the Pickens County Council in South Carolina in 2008.

Manny Pacquiao

In Nov. 2009, the hard-hitting Filipino became the first boxer in history to earn world championships in seven different weight classes. Six months later, Pacquiao upset heavy favorite Roy Chiongbian in the race to represent the southern province of Sarangani in the Philippine Congress.

Ken Dryden (L)

Tony Triolo for Sports Illustrated; Phillip MacCallum/Getty Images

Dryden's motto: The puck stops here. As a Hall of Fame goaltender for the Canadians, Dryden became a national hero by helping Montreal win six Stanley Cups from 1971 through '79. Later, he was elected to Parliament as a member of the Liberal Party and named to Cabinet as Minister of Social Development.