Who knew that musicians are also accomplished athletes? These rockers prove that you can not only play music but sports as well! And some of them even have kids who turned to sports!
Mick Jagger
-Before becoming the front man for The Rolling Stones, vocalist Mick Jagger was on his high school's basketball team. His father was the PE teacher and basketball coach. His years of playing sports and training have kept him in top physical condition, even into his 70s
Prince
-Prior to "Little Red Corvette" making him famous, this musician rocked hard on the basketball court
George Thorogood
-He was an avid baseball player in school
Al Jardine, Brian Wilson
-These Beach Boys members both were teammates on their high school's football team
Clarence Clemons
-The famed saxophone player for The E Street band played semiprofessional baseball before dropping the bat and ball and picking up a saxophone
Alice Cooper
-He spent time doing cross-country running for his high school in Detroit
Bob Seger
-Like Alice Cooper, Bob Seger ran cross-country-type running for his high school
Joe Strummer
-A member of The Clash, he was on his school's cross-country running team
Roger Waters
-The bassist for Pink Floyd, he took on a more grueling sport. The future Pink Floyd bassist made a somewhat name for himself playing rugby
In some cases, rockers gave up their sports dreams to take up music, but they still partake in it just to keep sane and fit
Steve Harris
-Before he found music, he wanted to be a professional soccer player (footballer) for his beloved team, West Ham United. After discovering the rigors of training, he gave it up. He still plays soccer in his spare time. He organizes impromptu soccer matches, which included, at one time, Bob Marley
Rod Stewart
-He dreamed of being a famous footballer (soccer player). He captained his school's team. His father was an amateur coach and player, encouraging him to try out for the local league, Brentford F.C.
Billy Joel
-Before he found fame as "The Piano Man", Billy Joel learned to get fast hands on the piano from boxing. He was a teen amateur boxer in New York, winning his first 22 bouts and even managed to compete in the state's Golden Gloves tournament. He gave the sport up after having his nose broken in his 24th match
Bob Marley
-Soccer was a sport he was passionate about. He would regularly play in pickup games on tour and at home in Jamaica. Neville Garrick, a friend and art director told The Undefeated "Even though Bob wasn't a big, strong man, he was aggressive. On a big field, he was a very offensive-minded player, always looking for an opportunity to score." He was so obsessed with the sport that he even played when fields weren't available. He and his staff developed a game called Money Ball, which they played inside hotel suites. "If you broke anything, you'd have to pay for it. That's why we called it Money Ball."
Ginger Baker
-This man dreamed of becoming a professional cyclist before drumming lured him away. In his teens, he would compete in cycling races, time trials, convincing himself he would make a career out of it. He told The Calgary in 2013 "One day I had a smashup and the bike was a write-off. I had to earn some money, and this mate of mine said "why don't you play drums?" It's funny - they all knew I was a drummer and I didn't."
Marvin Gaye
-High school or college didn't see sports for this man. This man dreamed of sports even when he had become a star musician. He met Lem Barney and Mel Farr of the Detroit Lions in 1968 and became fast friends. They met by playing golf. Gaye even had the NFL players provide spoken lyrics in his trademark 1971 hit "What's Going On". To Barney and Farr's surprise, Gaye requested to tryout with the Lions. He was 31 then and had never played football before. He reportedly said he'd "rather catch a pass and score a touchdown in Tiger Stadium than rack up another gold record." He put on 30 pounds of muscle weight and ran miles a day to prepare. He even went through a full day of contact-free training with the Lions. Despite his effort and hard work, he wasn't invited. "Coach just told him "I love you, Marv. I love your attitude"" Farr told ESPN later. "But it wasn't enough to push him over the level where Coach would want to put him in pads."
Bruce Dickinson
-This one is obvious, lol. Anyone who knows ANYTHING about Bruce Dickinson knows his main sport of passion is fencing. This is sometimes seen as a sport for those with a lot of $$$. Long before he found fame as the vocalist for one of the world's top heavy metal bands, he was passionate about fencing. Starting at age 13, he represented his school in competitions. He even became the captain of the fencing team. At one point, he ranked #7 fencer in all of Britain. Despite the fact that music consumed his whole focus, he found time to fence. He continues this sport to this very day. In an interview with Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten, "For me, fencing is training. I fence because I enjoy it and the by-product is that I end up getting in reasonably good shape. Actually, fencing is very similar to the way I run around on stage. Or maybe I run around stage like that because I fence. Either way, it works for me."
Robbin Crosby
-As a guitarist in 80s hair band Ratt, he strongly considered a career in sports before pursuing music. At 6'5'', he already has the height and build for athletics. He spent his youth pursuing many sports, including baseball
