We are in the midst of American Education Week, which spans Nov. 13-17. To celebrate, we're shining a light on NFL stars who have excelled academically in addition to pursuing careers as football players. Whether they attained their degrees before, during, or after their NFL careers, the players below have proven that it's possible to strike a balance between academic and athletic achievements, even as a professional athlete.
Joshua Dobbs
Dobbs graduated from the University of Tennessee in 2017 with a 4.0 GPA and a degree in aerospace engineering. Those credentials help explain how he was able to lead the Vikings to victory in his Week 9 debut with the team despite having had less than a week to familiarize himself with the playbook and his teammates. The quick study's impressive accomplishment even drew plaudits from NASA, as well as a suggestion for a new nickname: The Passtronaut.
Jalen Hurts
Another well-educated NFL QB is Jalen Hurts of the Eagles. Hurts earned his bachelor's degree in communication and information sciences at Alabama in just three years, then added a master's degree in human relations from Oklahoma. He quarterbacked the Sooners as a graduate transfer in 2019, then took online classes in management and leadership in the spring of 2023, finishing his master's degree just months after suiting up in Super Bowl LVII for Philadelphia. He returned to Oklahoma to accept his diploma in May of 2023.
Laurent Duvernay-Tardif
While we're celebrating American education week, one well educated NFL star from our neighbors to the north also deserves a shoutout. When Laurent Duvernay-Tardif officially announced his retirement from the NFL in September of 2023, there was little mystery about what passion the former Chiefs and Jets offensive lineman would pursue next. In 2018, Duvernay-Tardif graduated from McGill University Faculty of Medicine with a Doctor of Medicine and Master of Surgery (M.D., C.M.). Duvernay-Tardif studied for medical school during NFL offseasons and had the full backing of Chiefs coach Andy Reid, whose mother was also a McGill medical school alum. Duvernay-Tardif is one of six medical school graduates in NFL history, and the only physician to have simultaneously been an NFL player. He opted out of the 2020 NFL season, instead electing to return to his native Canada and work in a care facility during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ryan Fitzpatrick
Another recent NFL retiree with superb educational credentials is Harvard alum Ryan Fitzpatrick. He graduated with honors in 2005 with a degree in economics, and Fitzpatrick showcased his academic aptitude at the 2005 NFL combine by scoring a 48 out of 50 on the Wonderlic test. The quarterback went on to play for nine different teams from 2005-2021: the Rams, Bengals, Bills, Titans, Texans, Jets, Buccaneers, Dolphins, and Washington. Pursuing an NFL career certainly worked out for Fitzpatrick economically, as he posted career earnings over $80 million.
Jerome Bettis
Not everyone is as academically gifted as Fitzpatrick, who scored a 1580 out of 1600 on the SAT in addition to his aforementioned academic accolades, but it's never too late to go back to school. Jerome Bettis proved that concept by finally finishing his degree from Notre Dame 28 years after leaving college to join the NFL. The former Rams and Steelers running back has both brains and braun, as his powerful running style earned Bettis the nickname "the Bus" during an NFL career that spanned from 1993 to 2005. Bettis fulfilled a promise he made to his mother by getting his degree from the Mendoza School of Business in 2022 at age 50, putting the "Bus" in "business."
