Rep. Sharice Davids, D-Kan., had a successful mixed martial arts career before shifting from dodging fists to political blows on Capitol Hill.
Davids, who tried out for “The Ultimate Fighter,” compiled a 5-1 amateur record before a brief professional MMA career in 2013, when she went 1-1.
“Turns out getting punched in the face is pretty good preparation for Congress,” Davids told Fox News Digital on Friday.
She first left the octagon to support Native American communities, focusing on community development and expanding economic opportunities for Native people.
Davids later won her 2018 congressional bid in an upset against Rep. Kevin Yoder, R-Kan., in the largely red state.
“But really, fighting professionally taught me that you don’t solve every challenge by throwing punches. You have to stay disciplined, work hard, respect your opponent, and keep moving forward — and that’s how I approach this job, too,” she told Fox News Digital.
Closeup of Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville during game vs Tennessee, Atlanta, GA on Dec. 4, 2004. (Bob Rosato/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)
Former Auburn Tigers Coach Tommy Tuberville transitioned to the U.S. Senate in 2021 after compiling a slew of outstanding stats as a head coach.
The Republican — now running for governor of Alabama — declined comment for this story but spoke in 2020 about the parallels between success in athletics and government.
Asked about his then-11-month campaign against incumbent Democrat Sen. Doug Jones, Tuberville told the Alabama Daily News he had to approach it at “full speed” just like a football coach.
“We put together a good, good team. And a lot of people told me when I first got started they said, coach, this is just like being a head coach. You’re only as good as the team around you,” he said.
ST PETERSBURG, FL – OCTOBER 9: Republican vice presidential candidate Jack Kemp(L) shakes hands with US Vice President Al Gore(R) moments before initiating their debate at the Mahaffey Theater at the Bayfront Center in St Petersburg, Florida 09 October. (ELECTRONIC IMAGE) (Photo credit should read ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP via Getty Images) (ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP via Getty Images)
One of the most recognizable Republican figures of the last century was former HUD Secretary and former Congressman Jack Kemp.
Kemp’s political peak came in 1996 when he was the vice presidential running mate of Sen. Bob Dole, R-Kan., against President Bill Clinton.
Jack Kemp, No. 15, of the Buffalo Bills passes against the Kansas City Chiefs in the 1966 AFL Championship Game on Jan. 1, 1967, in Buffalo, N.Y. (Herb Scharfman/Sports Imagery/Getty Images)
Prior to that, Kemp led the same agency Turner did under the first Bush administration, and previously represented western New York in Congress for almost 20 years.
Kemp’s first public role, however, was as a journeyman NFL quarterback in the 1950s and 1960s. He played for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Los Angeles Chargers and Buffalo Bills, among others, and also spent time in the Canadian Football League with the Calgary Stampeders.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell — whose father Charles Goodell represented Kemp’s area as a Republican in Congress in the 1960s — was quoted as calling Kemp an “extraordinary American leader who became a trusted colleague and exceptional friend to countless NFL owners, team personnel and commissioners after his MVP playing career with the Buffalo Bills.”
Kemp, who died in 2009, said that professional football gave him a “good perspective” for politics.
“When I entered the political arena, I had already been booed, cheered, cut, sold, traded, and hung in effigy,” he said, according to the Bills.
Burgess Owens, right, defends for the New York Jets against the Denver Broncos. (Denver Post via Getty Images)
The only active member of Congress with an NFL history is Rep. Burgess Owens, a retiring Republican from Utah.
Owens, a former New York Jets safety, has alluded to his NFL career at times, largely focusing on criticizing the politicization of sports.
He previously told Fox Business during a time when players were kneeling for the national anthem that he would be boycotting games until Goodell was fired.
“I’m done,” he told host David Asman in 2020. “It’s time for these young men who make millions of dollars to say thank you [and respect the country].”
Owens did not respond to a request for comment.
Jon Runyan with the Philadelphia Eagles is seen. (George Gojkovich/Getty Images)
Former longtime Philadelphia Eagles offensive tackle Jon Runyan Sr. also parlayed his playing career into one on Capitol Hill.
The Republican represented part of South Jersey for two terms in a district now represented by Rep. Herb Conaway, D-N.J., that covers part of the Pine Barrens and Philadelphia suburbs.
Runyan is now a vice president of policy and rules with the NFL and his son Jon Jr. is a guard with the Giants. He did not respond to a request for comment.
INDIANAPOLIS, IN – JULY 24: (L-R)Connie Mack, Rob Kauffman, and Heath Shuler pose for a photo opportunity prior to practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Crown Royal Presents the Jeff Kyle 400 at the Brickyard at Indianapolis Motorspeedway on July 24, 2015 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Robert Laberge/Getty Images)
There have been several other top-name lawmakers who themselves were former professional athletes.
Rep. Anthony Gonzalez, an Indiana Republican who chose not to seek re-election in 2022 over political fallout from voting to impeach Trump, was a former Indianapolis Colts wide receiver.
Former Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Steve Largent — an NFL Hall of Famer — went on to represent Oklahoma in Congress.
Former Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Jim Bunning went on to have a lengthy political career.
He was elected to the Kentucky State Senate in 1979, Congress in 1986 and later the U.S. Senate in 1999.
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., now holds his seat.
Former U.S. Senator Bill Bradley speaks as Newark Mayor Cory Booker listens during a news conference to discuss Booker’s plans to campaign for the Democratic nomination to run for the seat of late U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg on June 8, 2013 in Newark, New Jersey. (Ramin Talaie/Getty Images)
New York Knicks star Bill Bradley, whose number 24 has been retired in MSG, went on to serve New Jersey in the U.S. Senate as a Democrat in the 1980s and 90s.
He also mounted an unsuccessful presidential primary bid against former Sen. Al Gore, D-Tenn.
New York Knicks forward Bill Bradley puts on his warmup jersey while seated on the bench during an NBA game against the Denver Nuggets at McNichols Arena on Nov. 3, 1976, in Denver, Colo. Also visible on the bench are Phil Jackson, Earl Monroe, Mel Davis and Mo Layton. (Mark Junge/Getty Images)
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Ex-Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Tom Osborne – who briefly played for the Redskins – also served his college’s home state in Congress in the early 2000s.
Former Rep. Adam Wyant, R-Pa., had a 10-year career in the early days of professional football. He played for the Greensburg Athletic Association in the 1890s.
Laverne Dilweg, an early Green Bay Packer, also represented Wisconsin in Congress as a Democrat in the 1920s and 30s.
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Former Arizona Democratic Congressman Mo Udall — whose family is considered political royalty throughout much of the Mountain West — spent three decades in Congress after a brief stint with the Denver Nuggets.
Olympic gold medal-winning decathlete Bob Mathias returned to the United States after the Helsinki Games and represented California as a Republican for about a decade beginning in 1967.
