Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson could have been an NFL player had Warren Sapp not taken his job at the University of Miami in 1992. He was a developing defensive force and a heat-seeking missile toward any ball carrier. During his college career, he recorded 77 tackles and just over 4 sacks. He was even part of the 1991 championship team. But once Sapp arrived, the future Hall of Famer turned Johnson into an afterthought.
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And Johnson had always dreamed of making it to the NFL. So, after an unsuccessful attempt at doing so through college, he went to the Canadian Football League to keep his dream alive. There, he transitioned from defensive line to linebacker, but was placed on a practice squad.
After just 2 months up north, Johnson was cut from the team. It was a life-altering moment that forced him to move back in with his parents. Suddenly, his dreams were slipping away.
“I got cut from Canada, I go back home, and I don’t have a place to go now. I got to move back in with my mom and dad in their little apartment in Tampa, Florida. That was so sobering for me because it’s like, there’s the dream, it all goes away,” Johnson shared on New Heights.
The Rock went on to share that this reality check turned out to be a defining moment in his life. When he went home, he had time to reflect on what he truly wanted to do. This led him to realize that his dream of making it to the NFL wasn’t as realistic as he once thought.
That’s why when his CFL coach came calling, asking if he wanted to come to training camp, Johnson respectfully declined. “I said, ‘Coach, I appreciate it, but I’m going to have to close this chapter of my life,’” Johnson remembered.
Naturally, this gave The Rock some closure on his football journey. His old coach thanked him for his time and wished him the best in life. Little did he know that Johnson would one day become a Hollywood star.
However, Johnson still had to break the news to his parents about his decision to walk away from football. He told them he wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps and pursue professional wrestling instead, but that conversation quickly turned into a heated argument.
“He hated it. Oh, we got into a huge fight that night… But that became very defining for me.”
Johnson’s dad eventually came around to the idea. And thank goodness that he did, because The Rock would soon become a sensation. He first debuted under the wrestling name Rocky Maivia, a combination of his grandfather’s and father’s ring names. Then, after transitioning to the WWE, his eventual “The Rock” nickname stuck with audiences.
All in all, it’s a good story that shows sometimes what we think we’re meant to do isn’t always the best fit. Moreover, if you stay open-minded and driven, you’ll eventually find your true calling. For Johnson, it took two failed attempts at making it to the NFL, but he went on to become one of the most famous wrestlers of all time … and later, an even bigger Hollywood star.
