Before Goldberg was a prolific WWE star, he spent a pair of seasons in the NFL with the Atlanta Falcons.
In his short tenure in the NFL, he played alongside legendary player and now coach Deion Sanders. Speaking on Well Off Media, Sanders recalled wrestling matches that went on inside the Falcons’ locker room on Fridays. The Colorado head coach said he always made a point to call Goldberg into the ring.
Goldberg then credited Sanders for kicking off his wrestling career.
“I guess I have to give him 100 percent credit for me being a professional wrestler,” Goldberg said (8:00 mark). “Cause I never would have done it.”
It’s safe to say Sanders rooting the idea of wrestling in Goldberg paid off. Three years after he retired from the NFL, Goldberg began his professional wrestling career, joining the WCW in 1997.
He quickly rose to prominence thanks in large part to his 173-0 undefeated streak, and he defeated Hulk Hogan in 1998 to claim the WCW World Heavyweight Championship.
The former defensive tackle joined the WWE in 2003 after a short stint with All Japan Pro Wrestling. While competing in the WWE, he won another World Heavyweight Championship after beating Triple H.
While Goldberg might have found his way into wrestling regardless, it seems Sanders planted the idea early on. Now, Goldberg has returned the favor. Goldberg’s son, Gage, committed to Colorado in January and will join Sanders and the Buffaloes this fall.
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