The OG Creed, Actor Carl Weathers turns 71 years old today.
The man who will forever live as the uber-confident boxer Apollo Creed, Carl Weathers turns 71 years old today.
Creed was the perfect counterbalance to the lead character, Rocky Balboa in the Oscar-winning film. He defined the term Hollywood, combining Muhammad Ali’s wordplay with the polarization of Jack Johnson. As a result, against the backdrop of a blue-collar Philadelphia, Creed was Deontay Wilder meets the Charlo brothers.
Today, millennials gush over the fictionalized story of his scripted progeny, played by Michael B. Jordan. The extension from Rocky IV where Creed is killed in the ring by Ivan Drago, the new film series extends Weathers’ lifeline further than anyone could have imagined.
From Football to Hollywood
Weathers started as a football player, playing the defensive end position in college. He started in 1966 at Long Beach City College, he didn’t play due to an ankle injury then transferred to San Diego State University, becoming a letterman in 1968 and 1969. There he played under head coach Don Coryell, the first coach to win over 100 games at both the collegiate and pro level.
After he went undrafted, Weathers signed with the Oakland Raiders as a free agent in 1970 as a linebacker. Weathers played seven games for the Raiders in 1970 and one in 1971 until he was released.
He signed with the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League in 1971, playing 18 games until 1973. During the off-season Weathers started to transition to acting, attending San Francisco State University earning a bachelor’s degree in drama in 1974.
He retired from football in 1974 and began pursuing an acting career.
From suspenseful action movies like Predator and Action Jackson to whimsical like Happy Gilmore, Weathers has done it all.
Happy birthday to a true champion in life, the one and only big homie, Carl Weathers.
