Sports

11 Pro Athletes Who Pivoted To An Unexpected Career After Retiring

Published

7 months ago

May 30, 2025

11 Pro Athletes Who Pivoted To An Unexpected Career After Retiring

Some professional athletes make enough money during their career to never have to work a day for the rest of their lives after calling it quits, and many others keep busy by getting a job in the media, as a coach, or in a front office. However, there are plenty of others who’ve turned their attention to a wildly different pastime.

Ken Griffey Jr. with a camera at The Masters — Peter Casey-Imagn Images

It’s easy to say you’d opt to rest on your laurels if you were a pro athlete who made the kind of money that ensures you’ll never have to worry about your finances again, but there aren’t many people who find satisfaction in an aimless existence where you simply float through life for decades on end.

There are a ton of former athletes who probably didn’t need to get another job after they left their sport behind only to decide to pursue another career, and more than a few of them opted to embark down a path most people probably wouldn’t have seen coming.

Here are some of the most interesting examples.

Jake Plummer: Mushroom Farmer

Career Earnings: ~$59 million

Jake Plummer was about as close to the definition of average that you can get during a 10-year NFL career where the quarterback spent six seasons with the Cardinals and another four with the Broncos (he posted a 69-67 record as a starter).

Plummer became a vocal advocate for medical marijuana after he retired in 2007, and he’s gone all-in when it comes to throwing his support behind natural therapies since then.

The QB who was nicknamed “The Snake” eventually co-founded Umbo, a company that makes mushroom-based supplements, alongside former UFC fighter Rashad Evans.

That venture inspired him to gain a deeper understanding of the fungi, and he’s expanded his knowledge with the help of the mushroom farm he owns in Colorado.

Drew Bledsoe: Winemaker

Patriots QB Drew Bledsoe — Lou Capozzola-Imagn Images

Career Earnings: $80 million

Drew Bledsoe may be best remembered as the guy who got replaced by Tom Brady right before the Patriots entered Dynasty Mode, but that’s a bit of a disservice to a man who had enough talent to spend 14 seasons in the NFL as a quarterback.

The Washington native used some of his earnings to buy property in Walla Walla before opening the Bledsoe Family Winery that produces vino under two different labels: Doubleback and Bledsoe-McDaniels.

Bryant Reeves: Cattle Farmer

Career Earnings: $55 million

Bryant Reeves was an Absolute Unit, as the seven-footer who weighed upwards of 300 pounds played basketball at Oklahoma State before spending six seasons as a member of the Grizzlies.

The Oklahoma native lived up to his “Big Country” nickname in more ways than one—including his decision to buy a 300-acre ranch where he built his dream home near the banks of the Arkansas River.

Reeves turned the property into a cattle ranch where he resides with his family while taking care of the animals that serve as their primary source of income now that he’d put basketball behind him.

Jared Allen: Curler

Vikings DE Jared Allen — Tim Heitman-Imagn Images

Career Earnings: $98 million

Jared Allen spent 12 years in the NFL as a defensive end for the Chiefs, Vikings, Bears, and Panthers and was a sack machine who left football behind in 2016.

However, it didn’t take him very long to find a new passion in the form of…curling, the sport that’s really only thrust into the spotlight every four years at the Winter Olympics.

Allen initially teamed up with a few other guys who played in the NFL in the hopes of qualifying for a spot in the Olympics. He hasn’t checked that box, but in 2024, he partnered with a couple of Canadian curlers to purchase the rights to the Grand Slam of Curling.

Mookie Wilson: Truck Driver

Career Earnings: N/A

Mookie Wilson played in the MLB for 12 seasons and is probably best remembered as the guy who hit the ball that skipped through Bill Buckner’s legs during the 1986 World Series.

He stayed involved with baseball by working as a coach after he retired, but in 1999, he started to pursue a new gig in the offseason with the help of a tractor-trailer truck he bought to start making deliveries around the United States.

Wilson didn’t need the extra cash but decided to start hauling stuff because he enjoyed the journeys the job took him on, saying the money was really just a bonus.

Randy Johnson: Photographer

Randy Johnson taking photos at NHRA race — Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Career Earnings: $175 million

Randy Johnson was a force to be reckoned with on the mound during a Hall of Fame career where the 6’10” man who was deservedly known as “The Big Unit” racked up over 300 wins and 4,875 strikeouts (putting him behind only Nolan Ryan for the most of all time) during his 22 MLB seasons.

Johnson was no stranger to having cameras pointed on him when he was pitching, and he got to get a taste of what it’s like to the be the person on the other side of the lens when he started his own photography company—one with a logo that features a dead bird as a nod to the most infamous moment of his career.

Ken Griffey Jr.: Also A Photographer

Career Earnings: $172 million

Randy Johnson emerged as one of the best pitchers in the MLB around the same time Ken Griffey Jr. cemented himself as one of its most electric sluggers, and the latter also spent a grand total of 22 seasons in the league en route to being inducted into the Hall of Fame.

That’s not the only thing they have in common, as “The Kid” also took up photography in retirement—a development that first came to the attention of many people in 2025 when he gained the credential required to be one of the few people who are permitted to snap pictures at The Masters.

Mark Hamilton: Doctor

Career earnings: $3 million

Mark Hamilton never came close to becoming a household name during his brief time in the MLB, as he only appeared in 47 games during the two seasons when he was a member of the Cardinals at the start of the 2010s (he did get a World Series ring for his contributions in 2011).

Hamilton called it quits after being cut by the Triple-A affiliate for the Braves in 2014, but he already had a backup plan in mind: medical school.

The infielder managed to get his degree at Hofstra’s Zucker School of Medicine. He initially planned to be an orthopedic surgeon but decided to switch to interventional radiology and currently practices on Long Island.

Junior Bridgeman: Restaurant And Soda Mogul

Career Earnings: $3 million

Junior Bridgeman spent 12 seasons in the NBA (10 with the Bucks and two more with the Clippers) and had a solid career despite coming off the bench for the bulk of it.

He was still playing when he got the chance to invest in a Wendy’s franchise in Chicago in 1984, and when he retired three years later, he opened one of his own in Brooklyn.

That marked the start of an empire where Bridgeman would come to operate more than 160 Wendy’s locations and close to 120 Chili’s outposts that he eventually leveraged to buy a bottling plant that distributed Coca-Cola.

It was widely believed he was worth well over $1 billion before he passed away in 2025.

Roger Staubach: Real Estate Mogul

Career Earnings: $500,000

Roger Staubach spent 11 seasons playing quarterback for the Cowboys and led the team to two Super Bowl victories during a tenure where they played in The Big Game on five occasions (he was also named the MVP of Super Bowl VI).

The QB started planning for life after football while he was still playing in the NFL, as he knew he’d have to find another job to support himself and his family once he hung up his cleats due to the underwhelming nature of the salaries that were handed out during the era he played.

Staubach started studying real estate management in the offseason before retiring and ended up doing very well for himself while running The Staubach Company, which sold for over $600 million in 2008.

Byron White: Supreme Court Justice

Career Earnings: ~$50,000

This one is a bit of a throwback, and “unexpected” probably isn’t the right word to use here based on his background.

With that said, I’m not sure how I can’t include a man who initially made a name for himself as a football player before ending up behind the bench in the Supreme Court.

White excelled at football and academics at the University of Colorado, as he was an All-American halfback and Rhodes scholar who postponed his term at Oxford so he could play in the NFL.

The man who was dubbed “Whizzer” led the league in rushing during his rookie season with the team that would eventually become the Steelers in 1938, but he stepped away from football the following year so he could pursue a law degree at Yale.

He ended up playing for the Lions for two more seasons before joining the Navy in WWII. He never returned to football, but he did embark on a law career that peaked when John F. Kennedy appointed him to the Supreme Court in 1962—a post he held for over 30 years before retiring in 1993.

Sports

Maine wraps up Fall Semester with a win in Black Bear Invitational

Published

3 minutes ago

December 13, 2025

Your Sports Nation

ORONO, Maine – The University of Maine track and field program hosted their Black Bear Invitational meet on Friday December 12. The Black Bears hosted the University of Maine at Fort Kent Bengals and the Husson University Eagles at the New Balance Indoor Track. The Black Bears took home 1st place with a score of 97 points.

Cheyenne Figueroa continued her strong start to the season with another 1st place finish in the weight throw event with a final distance of 16.93m (55′ 7″). Ava Zollars took home second place overall finish with a distance of 13.96m (45′ 10″). Sabine SItes rounded out the top three with a final distance of 13.06m (42′ 10″).

Julia Bassi took home 1st place in the shot put with a distance of 11.86m (38′ 11″). Cheyenne Figueroa finished 2nd overall with a final distance of 11.83m (38′ 9.75″). Riley Gavigan finished with a top 5 performance, finishing 5th with a distance of 9.19m (30′ 1.75″).

Athena Cusson got the Black Bears to the top of the leader board again with a 5.58m (18′ 3.75″) jump in the Long Jump event. Saphryn Humason took home a second place overall finish with a distance of 5.41m (17′ 9″). Martha Baharova rounded out Maine’s top 3 finishers, finishing 4th overall with a distance of 5.02m (16′ 5.75″).

Lydia White was the only Black Bear to compete in the Pole Vault event. White took home a first place overall finish with a height of 3.00m (9′ 10″).

Saphryn Humason took home 1st place in the Triple Jump with a distance of 10.87m (35′ 8″), competing as the lone Black Bear in the event.

The Black Bears swept the competition in the Mile run as Megan Randall came out of the gates flying, finishing in 1st place with a time of 5:02.71. Ryan O’Connor took home a 2nd place overall finish with a time of 5:06.48. Lauren Hamilton rounded out the top three with a time of 5:08.41.

In the 600m, Addison Nelson took home a 1st place finish with a final time of 1:40.83. Searcy Mooney took home 2nd place with a final time of 1:42.51. Toni Vaillancourt wrapped up the top 3 with a time of 1:43.15.

Athena Cusson took home a 1st place finish in the 60m Hurdles as the only Black Bear to compete. Cusson finished with a final time of 10.47.

The Black Bears would once again take all three spots of the top 3 in the 60m Dash. Bayleigh Shanahan would take first place with a sub-8 second finish, finishing at 7.97. Catherine Primavera would finish with a time of 8.12, finishing in 2nd place. Maddie Chaput would round out the top three with a final time of 8.20.

Ruby Krasnow would run away with the 3000m Run with a final time of 9:58.32, finishing in 1st place. Freshman Kara Tschida and Natalie Johnson would round out the top three for the Black Bears. Tschida finished with a time of 10:29.42, while Johnson finished with a time of 10:47.70.

Maddie Cyr would finish with a time of 42.72 to capture a first place finish in the 300m Dash. Cassidy Novicka would take home a second place finish, finishing with a time of 43.16. Catherine Primavera, with a time of 43.25 would finish in 3rd place rounding out the top 3.

Meredith Walters would finish in 1st place with a time of 3:02.34 in the 1000m Run. Abby Rodriquenz would finish in 2nd place with a final time of 3:02.78. Emma Tessier would round out the top 3 with a final time of 3:09.71.

In the 4000m Distance Medley Relay, the group of Ryan O’Connor, Addison Nelson, Megan Randall and Ruby Krasnow would dominate the field finishing in 1st place with a time of 12:33.45. Natalie Johnson, Bri Harriman, Searcy Mooney and Kennedy Taylor would finish in 2nd place with a time of 12:49.99. Kara Tschida, Cassidy Novicka, Amy Rein and Lauren Hamilton would round out the top three with a final time of 12:55.76.

The 4×200 Meter Relay would end the evening as the group of Maddie Chaput, Lydia White, Catherine Primavera, and Saphryn Humason would take home a first place finish with a time of 1:50.13.

The Black Bears wrapped up their fall semester and will take on the Bates College Invitational to open up the spring semester on January 17th.

-UMaine-

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Sports

Historic Season Comes to Close

Published

52 minutes ago

December 13, 2025

Your Sports Nation

AUSTIN, Texas. – The greatest season in program history came to an end on Friday (Dec. 12) afternoon at Gregory Gymnasium in Austin. Top-seeded Texas earned a tight sweep of the fourth-seeded Indiana volleyball team (25-20, 25-22, 25-22) to advance to the regional finals on Sunday. IU’s season comes to a close with a single-season program record 25 wins (in the NCAA era).

In one of the premier volleyball arenas in the country, the Hoosiers went blow-for-blow with the four-time national champions. IU lost by just a combined 11 points and reached the red zone (20+) in all three sets. Head coach Steve Aird‘s group recorded more kills (48-45) but couldn’t find a defensive answer for Texas’ All-American outside hitter Torrey Stafford.

Senior outside hitter Candela Alonso-Corcelles recorded 13 kills in her final game with the Hoosiers. It was the 74th time in her college tenure that she recorded a match with at least 10 kills. IU found great success in the middle with seven kills (.778) from senior middle blocker Madi Sell and eight kills (.700) from freshman middle blocker Victoria Gray.

Contributions from freshmen were felt from every part of the court. Freshman setter Teodora Krickovic dished out 38 assists while freshman outside hitter Jaidyn Jager contributed eight kills. Freshman outside hitter Charlotte Vinson had an ace and picked up her first career kill for the Hoosiers. Six of IU’s 10 players on the court were true freshmen on Friday.

In totality, IU’s 2025 team will go down as the greatest in program history. The Hoosiers broke single-season program records in the NCAA era for wins (25), regular season wins (23), Big Ten wins (14), road wins (9), ranked road wins (3). IU advanced to its second NCAA regional semifinal in school history.

How it Happened
• The defensive effort made the difference for Texas on Friday afternoon. The Longhorns racked up 10 more blocks than the Hoosiers (12.0-2.0). IU dug 38 balls but struggled to find points in transition. Texas had an answer for every IU swing in the match.

• Texas’ All-American outside hitter Torrey Stafford was virtually unstoppable on Friday. She picked up 19 kills on zero errors for a .679 hitting percentage. She dug eight balls and had a hand in four blocks as well. IU had more kills (48-46) but had 23 attacking errors.

Top Hoosier Performers
#3 Alonso-Corcelles, Candela
13 kills, 10 digs

#10 Krickovic, Teodora
38 assists, 7 digs, 2 kills

#23 Gray, Victoria
8 kills, .700 hitting percentage

Notes to Know
• Senior outside hitter Candela Alonso-Corcelles played her final career game for the Hoosiers. She provided 13 kills in the match, the 74th time that she’s had double-digit kills in a contest. She ends her career eighth in program history in kills (1,386). She’s the first IU player since Jordan Haverly (2009, 2010) with consecutive seasons of 400+ kills.

• The Hoosiers ended the 2025 season hitting .281 as a team. That is a new single-season program record, obliterating the previous IU standard (.246) from 1989. All three of IU’s pin hitters and all three middle blockers that played regular time finished with a hitting efficiency of .240 or better on the year.

• For players with at least 300 attempts in a season, freshman middle blocker Victoria Gray finished the season hitting .378 with 152 kills. That mark puts her second in a single season in program history while smashing the previous single-season freshman hitting percentage record.

• Senior opposite hitter Avry Tatum finished her IU career with a collective hitting percentage of .273 with 936 kills on more than 2,000 swings. Among all pin hitters in program history, no IU player hit at a better efficiency (min. 1,000 attempts) than Tatum did in her three seasons in Bloomington.

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