Bing: Celeb Athletes

Bing: Celeb Athletes

You know the expression "Don't quit your day job"? Many celebs have done just that in order to become successful actors and musicians. But some extra-talented celebs walked away from serious athletic pursuits when they headed to Hollywood. Click through to read about the surprising accomplishments of stars in the sports realm.

George Clooney has made a name for himself as a multitalented guy: He's an actor, a director and an advocate for political causes. But he was almost a pro athlete, too

He can do comedy, he can do drama, he can sing, he can dance. It shouldn't be surprising, then, to learn that Jamie Foxx got into college on a scholarship for this all-American sport.

Kurt Russell has been a Hollywood star for pretty much his entire life, but he owes the adult phase of his lengthy movie career to a rotator cuff injury that ended his stint as a pro athlete.

Not to be outdone by her boyfriend, George Clooney, Stacy Keibler counts two different stints as a professional athlete before her ascent to fame. Watch out, George

It's one of the most famous instances of a celeb leaving Hollywood. At the height of his stardom -- and physical attractiveness -- Mickey Rourke left acting to pursue a career in this face-ruiner of a sport.

Could you be any more surprised? Before he became Chandler Bing and decided to pursue acting full-time, Matthew Perry found considerable success in the field of athletics

Believe it or not, Bruce Jenner's claim to fame is not being the guy trapped in a house with all those Kardashians. Back in the days of his old face, he was respected as a professional athlete

Before he was the patriarch on "Modern Family," he was Al Bundy. And long before even that, Ed O'Neill was on track to becoming a professional athlete. In fact, he was signed to a major team, only to be cut in training camp

You'd think become one of those "household name" actors would be enough, but Geena Davis took on a new pursuit late in her career. And she was so good at it, in fact, that she almost qualified for the 2000 U.S. Olympic team.

Tom Selleck may have starred in a movie called "Mr. Baseball," but that's not the sport that got him a scholarship into college

Today. Joel McHale makes a living off snide comments. But back in his college days, McHale played a sport that had him dishing out physical attacks rather than verbal ones

Kaley Cuoco, star of "The Big Bang Theory," has been acting for most of her life, but her career performing in front of an audience began when she was only 3 years old: She took up a sport for which she would eventually be ranked nationally as a junior player

Onscreen, she's been a housewife and a reporter for Daily Planet. But before her acting career, Teri Hatcher participated at the professional level for this high-spirited sport

So if we were to ask you what sport Dwayne Johnson tried out before moving on to acting, you'd probably say professional wrestling, right? Not so fast..

"Lost" star Matthew Fox played a certain sport during his time at Columbia, but his athletic feats aren't as widely documented online as other celebs'. Maybe that's because the team was in the midst of an extensive losing streak, but Fox at least played a role in the team finally scoring a victory.

Most people were introduced to actress Analeigh Tipton via her role in "Crazy, Stupid, Love," but some people already recognized her from her third-place finish on "America's Next Top Model." It's possible some people even knew her from her days as a competitive athlete..

If you only know him as "that guy from the 'Chipmunks' movies," then it might be hard to believe that Jason Lee was cool. But he was! He was in the early Kevin Smith movies, and before that, he was the coolest kind of professional athlete

She's best known for playing the dowdy Phyllis on "The Office," but Phyllis Smith didn't set out to be an actor. In fact, one of her claims to fame is a job in connection with a major sports team

British star Jason Statham is known for adrenaline-addled action movie roles, but before his career onscreen, he competed in a sport known more for grace and finesse than for brute force.

The strange part about Forest Whitaker's career before Hollywood is that acting wasn't even his second choice: It was his third. After an athletic injury, he moved on to study singing before eventually discovering drama.