ATHLETES WHO TURNED POLITICIAN

After they became famous on the grid iron or diamond, or even the hardwood, some athletes parlayed their success and popularity into careers in politics. Actors have successfully done it and this sort of thing has been going on for years.

Jim Bunning - Baseball had a great 9 time All-Star pitcher who pitched a no-hitter against the Boston Red Sox as a Tiger in July of 1958, and his second a perfect game against the NY Mets as a Phillie on Father’s day way back in the 1964. When the Phillies retired his #14, the Hall of Famer went into the U.S. House of Representatives from Kentucky’s 4^th district and stayed in Washington from 1987 to 1999.

Bill Bradley – One time NY Knick for 10 years, a one time Oxford student, and Rhodes scholar, Bradley helped the Knicks to 2 championships in the NBA. When he shot his last hoop, he became a U.S. Senator in 1978 from New Jersey.

The 6' 5" Bradley chose Princeton University, even though Ivy League colleges could not offer athletic scholarships, after backing out of a commitment to Duke University. At Princeton, under coach Butch van Breda Kolff, Bradley was a three-time All-American and the 1965 National Player of the Year.  In 1976, Bradley also became an author, with Life on the Run, which chronicled his experiences in the NBA and the people he met along the way before entering politics.

Jack Kemp – Two-time Championship quarterback for the Buffalo Bills, The Hall of Fame quarterback was the AFL MVP in 1965, and went to seven Pro Bowls. 

After his illustrious career, in 1971 he was elected to Congress from New York's 39th district. He represented New York until 1989 when President George H.W. Bush appointed Kemp the U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development: Kemp then became Bob Dole's VP candidate in 1996.

And there you have three very prominent sports figures who have made it big in the transition form sports hero to politician. There were others such as: J.C. Watts, Tom Osborne, Steve Largent, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Lynn Swann.

That’s all I wrote, folks!