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For the Love of Sports and Fame: Hollywood Actors Who Used to be Athletes

Joel McHale

You probably recognize Joel McHale from the sitcom, Community, and for hosting The Soup on E! Before reaching our screen, McHale was a high school athlete. The University of Washington recruited the actor as part of the team. McHale got in a fight with the team crew, and his time rowing for UW ended.

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Photo by Kathy Hutchins, Shutterstock.com / Ivan Smuk, Shutterstock.com

Although he only played football for one year in high school, he ended up playing for two years on UW’s team. According to the actor, he convinced the team to let him play. He stated “I lied and said ‘oh yeah, I got hurt during my senior year and that’s why you don’t know me.’” He joined the Husky’s but didn’t play much. He was more interested in the scout team.