Carl Weathers played a better sports character on the big screen in Hollywood, than on the grid iron as a football player. Weathers played that flashy, cocky, trash talking boxer in the Rocky Movies, Apollo Creed. Then he played a role in one of the funniest golf movies, Happy Gilmore, as Chubbs Peterson. Weathers always had passion for the theatre as he became a master thespian at San Diego State University where he earned a Masters. In life before we even find our true passion, many will dabble in other things like the gridiron. Weathers may have loved the game of football and he was probably pretty good at it playing for the Aztecs of SD State. He played linebacker, eventually turned professional and suited up for the silver and black in Oakland in the NFL.. Weathers passed away this week at the age of 76, peacefully in his sleep.

I did not even realize that Carl Weathers played professional football like some legends in the NFL have. Like Fred Dryer who was known as Hunter, an LAPD homicide detective on television, & then in another life time before acting he was chasing down quarterbacks for the Rams. Weathers played football at Long Beach State in California before transferring to San Diego State where he played linebacker for the Aztecs. In 1969 the Aztecs had a perfect season 11-0 and they won the Pasadena Bowl. In 1970, Weathers was undrafted in the NFL but signed with the Oakland Raiders where he played in seven games. That year the Raiders won the AFC West title. The Raiders made it to the AFC Championship only to get dropped by the Baltimore Colts. Weathers returned to the Raiders in 1971 and lasted one game while getting his walking papers. Weathers professional football career was not over as he signed on with the BC Lions of the CFL (Canadian Football League). Weathers’ football career was very short as he would only play 13 games for the Lions as he came away with a fumble recovery. He hung up the spikes & removed the shoulder pads. He then would use the degree he earned, a Masters of Theatre Arts, and never look back.

Carl Weathers’ first big role he earned in Hollywood was playing the boxer Apollo Creed. Not knowing Sylvester Stallone wrote Rocky and was playing the part of the main character, Weathers criticized his acting. Acting as if working with a professional actor instead of Stallone, then the scenes could go smoother. At the time, Stallone was not known and he was just at the beginning of stardom. Stallone hired Weathers to play the part of Apollo Creed and at the same time the honesty probably improved his own acting skills. Weathers would play Creed in the first 4 Rocky movies as he eventually gets killed in the ring in the 4th movie by Ivan Drago, the Russian boxer played by Dolph Lundren. By far all the Rocky movies Weathers was in, were the best of the entire series.

The Rocky movies, especially the original, may be the best underdog sports story film of all-time. Rocky was nobody as Apollo Creed was the heavy weight champion. Creed needed a fight to happen and liked the name Italian Stallion, a complete nobody to give them a chance at the belt. Rocky loses but goes the distance in a very close fight that is an all out battle of the ages in the ring. Then in Rocky Two, the rematch, the Italian Stallion beats Apollo Creed and becomes the heavy weight champion of the world. In Rocky III, which features Clubber Lang who is played by Mister T, Lang beats up on the Italian Stallion and takes the title away from Rock. Then Apollo Creed helps Rocky and trains him to beat Clubber Lang in the rematch.

During these Rocky movies, the sound tracks were always designed to make you feel like you could go 12 rounds. The Eye of the Tiger which Apollo used to motivate Rocky. The song Eye of the Tiger by Survivor in Rocky III made that movie even better. In Rocky IV, Apollo’s introduction when he comes into the ring to Living in America is played by James Brown. He was also in that movie.

Carl Weathers, being an athlete as he played professional football, was part of the reason for how he landed some jobs in Hollywood. He has the sports body to be Apollo Creed. Before Rocky, Weathers played in a football movie with Burt Reynolds called Semi Tough. Weathers played Dreamer Tatum. One of the greatest series of all time that Weathers was a part of, was Predator. The sports body molded to perfection didn’t hurt his chances working with Arnold Schwarzenegger who was a professional body builder before Hollywood came calling.

Let’s not forget the other guy in Predator, Jesse the Body Ventura, a former professional wrestler. Ventura and Schwarzenegger would also go on to be governors. Predator produced a great Hollywood film using X-athletes for their main parts.

One of the funniest characters Carl Weathers played was Chubbs Peterson in Happy Gilmore.

Chubbs was Happy Gilmore’s golf coach in the movie. His character being once a professional golfer, but he got his hand chomped off by a gator. One of the better Adam Sandler movies in my opinion, this one would leave you in stitches laughing so much. Carl Weathers came in late as the Chief of the Sparta Police Department in the Heat of the Night series with Carol O’Connor, whom many love his character in All in the Family as Archie Bunker. Weathers seemed to like the Sci Fi television series. He played parts in Colony and Alien Siege, which I never heard of until now & has a great sounding plot. Who can forget his part in Star Wars in the Mandalorian series as Greef Karga?

That is just some of Carl Weathers’ acting credits over his long career in Hollywood. He has many others I did not mention on plenty of shows and movies. He definitely impacted the sports world with his characters on the big screen. Not many can play college football. Not many can say they had a cup of coffee in the NFL. Obviously he did what he wanted and acting was it. Not many people can reach their dreams. Not many people could find something that makes them happy in life. Carl Weathers has done that for himself, family, and all his fans. I think 76 is far to young. His memories will go on for the next several generations because those characters never actually die, if you rewind. Rest in peace Combat Carl!!