College football stars who played basketball

Sports

In advance of the NBA Draft, here's a look at some college football athletes who also left an impression on the basketball court.

Tony Gonzalez, one of the NFL's most prolific tight ends, celebrates each touchdown with a goalpost dunk. While at Cal Gonzalez played both football and basketball. On the court, Gonzalez shot better than 50 percent from the field in his three hoops seasons and averaged 6.4 points. He played a key role in the Cal basketball team that made the Sweet 16 in 1997.

Football Hall of Famer Jim Brown was known for his prowess in football, lacross and track. While at Syracuse he also was a phenom on the basketball court. Brown averaged 13.1 points per game in two seasons with the Orange.

Before he was winning slam dunk contests in the NBA, Nate Robinson led the University of Washington to two straight NCAA tournaments. Robinson, 5-foot-9, played one year at cornerback for the Huskies and intercepted a pass in a 2002 game against Washington State.

Baseball Hall of Famer Jackie Robinson dabbled in football, basketball and track while at UCLA. Robinson led the Bruins in rushing, passing and total offense his final season on the football team. On the court he led the Southern Division of the Pacific Coast Conference in scoring in 1940 and 1941.

Julius Peppers played defensive end for the North Carolina Tar Heels football team from 1998 to 2001. Peppers was a walk-on on the basketball team and was a reserve on the 1999-2000 Tar Heels squad that made the Final Four.

Oregon State quarterback Terry Baker was the 1962 Heisman Trophy winner. In March of the following year, Baker was a point guard on the Beaver squad that reached the Final Four, averaging 13.4 points per game.

Donovan McNabb started in nearly 50 games at quarterback on the Syracuse Orangemen. He also spent two years as a reserve on the basketball team, including the 1996 squad that lost to Kentucky in the National Championship game.

Charlie Ward led the Florida State football team to a national title and in 1993 completed 69.5 percent of his passes for 3,032 yards and 27 touchdowns. Ward, who went on to play in the NBA, also spent time on the court as a point guard for the Seminoles. Ward's 238 steals in a career is still a Florida State record.

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Tony Gonzalez, one of the NFL's most prolific tight ends, celebrates each touchdown with a goalpost dunk. While at Cal Gonzalez played both football and basketball. On the court, Gonzalez shot better than 50 percent from the field in his three hoops seasons and averaged 6.4 points. He played a key role in the Cal basketball team that made the Sweet 16 in 1997.

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