5 Best WWE Stars Who Played College Football
By Mike Janela
5. Paul Orndorff, University of Tampa
If you look for the Tampa Spartans on any college football schedule these days, you’ll be looking for awhile. The school’s program shut down in 1974 after 33 seasons, the final four of which competed in Division I.
The team standout for its final few years of existence: “Mr. Wonderful,” Paul Orndorff.
More famous for eventually headlining Wrestlemania I with Roddy Piper against Hulk Hogan and Mr. T, Orndorff played fullback for the Spartans before being drafted by the New Orleans Saints in 1973. He finished his Tampa career with 21 touchdowns and more than 2,000 all-purpose yards as a pass-catching running back. Orndorff also led the Spartans to just their third bowl win in history, catching two TDs in a 21-18 win over Kent State in the 1972 Tangerine Bowl.
Orndorff would earn Pro Wrestling Illustrated accolades for Match of the Year and Feud of the Year for his work against Hogan in the mid-80s. He would work with Bobby Heenan, fight again at Wrestlemania 2, and alternate between friend and foe to Hogan as the ’80s continued. The run would solidify Orndorff’s main event status, leading WWE to induct him into its Hall of Fame in 2005.