Even if you don’t follow any American professional sports, as a surfer, you have obviously heard of Raheem Mostert. The NFL running back made waves last year with his unique touchdown dance that may have caught your eye. In the game to go to the Super Bowl (NFC Championship), Mostert set a team record for the 49er’s for the most rush yards in a game by a single player – 220. He also scored 4 touchdowns, appropriating a nice one-two in jubilation.
He brought it out again this past weekend, celebrating his first touchdown of the year, and first with his new team, the Miami Dolphins.
Hailing from New Smyrna Florida, Mostert was famously almost a professional surfer instead of a bruising NFL running back, turning down a Billabong contract at the age of 14.
A brain speculates; what other dual sport superstars do we not know about? A brief search on the internet revealed several. Let’s take a look:
Daniel Norris, MLB Pitcher for the Detroit Tigers. Popular for dating Sage Erickson. Once on the L8 Night With Choccy Podcast, solidifying himself amongst the surfing culture.
Marcus Mariota. The present starting Quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons admirably would not sign his rookie contract after being drafted in the 1st round by the Tennessee Titans because of a clause prohibiting him from surfing. Bold strategy, Cotton.
Adam Scott the golfer. The native of Queensland, Australia once paddled out at Pipeline with Slater and Benji Weatherly. Both Scott and fellow PGA star Raffa Cabrera Bello have surfed the WSL X Kelly Slater Wave Pool Ranch House.
Tom Brady. That’s right folks. Heating up BeachGrit’s sizzling stove of hot takes, Brady and (soon to be Ex) Wife Giselle Bundchen previously surfed in Costa Rica. Was this due to Brady’s jealousy of the former flame of his supermodel wife? Paparazzi caught glimpses of the inarguable Greatest athlete Of All Time with his feet in the wax. At his age, no telling what could come after NFL retirement.
Not quite rippers, but undoubtedly surfers. If Mostert had sponsorship offers at 14 years old, pre – Instagram, wave pools, and this new age of surfing, who knows what he could get done nowadays? Any of the folk listed, for that matter. If I missed out or forgot any athletes that come to your mind, drop a comment below.
Thanks for the time,
-hwilsin