If Elvis Presley wasn’t too busy being the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll, an actor, and overall one of the most influential cultural figures in history, maybe he would have started a career in professional football.
In his own sense, Presley was the quarterback and overall MVP of the music industry. He continues to be one of the most recognizable figures in pop culture. He would go on to lead the plays of other aspiring artists.
Beyond just music and movies, Elvis Presley loved football. He loved to talk about it, draw up plays, and toss a football around.
Elvis Presley Was a Makeshift NFL Coach
Presley got the opportunity to do a lot of miraculous things during his life, although it was cut shorter than he probably expected. However, he never got the opportunity to play football in a true team setting.
“Elvis loved football far more than most people realize. He was truly passionate about it. His mom never let him play in high school but the game interested him his entire life … He would go over game tape as if he was the coach, he would draw up his own plays. He would watch as many games as he possibly could and we have archived all kinds of incredible memorabilia,” Angie Marchese, VP of archives and exhibits at Graceland, said in an interview with Fox Sports.
At one point Elvis Presley even reached out to Super Bowl champion Terry Bradshaw. He wanted to toss around the football together.
If you visit Graceland, which millions do every year, there is a huge array of different football-themed memorabilia that belonged to Elvis. It includes merchandise from the Cleveland Browns, his first love before switching to the Pittsburgh Steelers, as well as different plays that he drew out.
A Lifelong Appreciation for the Sport
During his life, Presley had actually made football a key part of his personal entertainment. He was often arranging games with his friends, he played while in the Army, and even was a part of a German touch football league.
“The thing I keep up with most is professional football. I know all the players. I know all their numbers, who they play for. I’ve had people quiz me on it, just in games when we’ve got nothing to do. And that’s a big thing with me right now. I watch all the games that I can. I get the films from the teams themselves if I can. But next to the entertainment thing, and music, that I guess, would be the biggest (interest),” Elvis Presley said in a 1962 article, according to the Graceland website.
On October 16, 1960, Presley even broke his finger while playing football on the lawn at Graceland. It never affected his ability to dreamily strum a guitar though. He even started his own league called the Elvis Presley Enterprises Football Team.
Elvis Presley was known for always having a football on him. Between takes on the set of movies Presley would whip out the football to toss around. There are photos of him on the set of films like “Girl Happy” and “Double Trouble” tossing a football around. Kurt Russell spoke about his fond memory of playing catch with Presley when he was just a kid on the set of “It Happened At The World’s Fair.”
Odds are if Elvis were around, he’d be pretty bummed the Cleveland Browns didn’t make it to the Super Bowl.