7 country stars that played college or pro football

Now that football season is in full swing, I thought it would be fun to take a look at which country artists had a helmet and pads in their hands before a guitar and a mic. Here’s a list of country stars on your radio today that were once lacing up their cleats and played football in either college or at the next level...

1. Sam Hunt - After a successful high school career, Sam Hunt went on to play at two different colleges. He was a QB at Middle Tennessee State University and then at UAB. Watch some highlights of Sam below when he took on FSU in 2007.

2. Chase Rice - Chase was a 6′ 3″ 230 lb linebacker for the University of North Carolina. The once Tarheel was forced to end his career early due to an ankle injury.

3. Garth Brooks - Garth was a star football player in high school and had the opportunity to play in college. However, he went to OSU on a track and field scholarship instead. However, he did have a brief stint as a MLB player, too!

4. Toby Keith - Toby Keith was well on his way to a career on the football field, but lucky for us he ended up a country music legend. However, right out of high school, he played semi-pro football for the Oklahoma City Drillers. As you probably already know, Toby was a huge Oklahoma fan and one of their biggest donors.

5. Lee Brice - I just met Lee for the first time a few weeks ago and I’m 6′ 4″ 275 lbs and Lee is a big dude! Lee was a walk-on at Clemson and eventually earned a scholarship as a lineman before an elbow injury ended his football career. Fortunately for you and me, that elbow still allows him to play that guitar!

6. Trace Adkins - Trace stands 6′ 6″ and weighs in at 240 lbs, a big guy! He was an offensive lineman for the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs before blowing out his knee.

7. Riley Green - Duckman was the QB for the Jacksonville State Gamecocks before falling in love with country music.

You can read about a few more country stars that played football, including Kenny Chesney, at Taste of Country.