Tuesday, January 03, 2006

Mind Your P's and Q's & Your X's and O's

Like everybody else, I watched a lot of college football in the past week. When I watched Oklahoma slip past Oregon in the Holiday Bowl last Thursday, I thought about Brian Bosworth.

You remember him, don't you?

It's hard to believe Bosworth's second TV series, "Lawless," was shorter-lived than his first!

Don't remember his first series? The networks aired 24 new episodes of "First Round Bust" over three seasons (1987-1989) on Sunday afternoons and occasional Monday nights during the Fall. The Boz played a former two-time Butkus Award winner trying to make good on a 10-year, $11 million dollar contract with the Seattle Seahawks. Most memorable episode? Monday Night Football. Bo Jackson flattened The Boz and prematurely ended his pro football career.

Brian Bosworth was one of many former NFL players who tackled the small screen when their football careers ended. Can you name some other football players-turned-performers and their primetime network TV series? (No, Jesse Palmer's stint on ''The Bachelor'' doesn't count.)
Athelete/PerformerTV Series
1.Alan Autry
(a.k.a. Carlos Brown)
"Sons of Thunder"
"In the Heat of the Night"
2.Lyle Alzado"Learning the Ropes"
3.Dick Butkus"Blue Thunder"
"Half Nelson"
"My Two Dads"
4.Bernie Casey "Harris and Company"
"Bay City Blues"
5.Fred Dryer"Hunter"
6.Bob Golic"Saved by the Bell: The College Years"
7.Rosie Greer "Make Room for Granddaddy"
"Movin' On"
8.Alex Karras"Webster"
9.Ed Marinaro "Hill Street Blues"
"Sisters"
"Oh Grow Up"
"Champs"
10.Joe Namath "The Waverly Wonders"
11.Merlin Olsen"Little House on the Prairie"
12.O.J. Simpson "1st & Ten"
13.Bubba Smith"Blue Thunder"
"Half Nelson"
"Open All Night"
"Semi-Tough"
14.Fran Tarkenton "That's Incredible"

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