OKLAHOMA CITY — Polarizing college football icon Brian Bosworth was born in Oklahoma City on March 9, 1965.
Bosworth started his football career in Texas, earning All-American honors at MacArthur High School.
The Oklahoma Sooners recruited him to Norman where he played linebacker under legendary coach Barry Switzer.
Bosworth, or "The Boz," played at OU from 1984 to 1986 — earning All-American honors in his sophomore and junior seasons.
However, he didn't get to play in the team's Orange Bowl appearance his junior year after testing positive for steroids.
Switzer kicked Bosworth off the team after he openly criticized the NCAA on the Orange Bowl sidelines with a shirt that read "National Communists Against Athletes."
Bosworth announced plans after the season to enter the NFL Draft. The Seattle Seahawks ended up picking him up in the 1987 Supplemental Draft.
He'd become well-known for his hairstyles and appearances, ultimately separating his persona from his football career.
Bosworth suffered a shoulder injury in 1988 that forced him to retire from the sport.
He went on to start a career in acting, including a part as a prison guard in the Adam Sandler remake of "The Longest Yard."
He later cycled through commentating roles for the XFL and Turner Sports's college football coverage.
His football career returned to the public eye in 2014 with the release of an ESPN documentary about his life, seguing into his 2015 induction into the College Football Hall of Fame.
Recently he's been in various football-related commercials including a string of Dr. Pepper "Fansville" ads in 2021.
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