Good as gold

There have been more than 30 NFL players who were able to compete as Olympians during their athletic careers. To simply make it to the Olympics is an incredible accomplishment. But to also win a gold medal? It’s rare territory.

Let’s look at the NFL players who brought home gold for the United States.

Jim Thorpe

Jim Thorpe won two Olympic gold medals in the 1912 Summer Olympics (one in classic pentathlon, and the other in decathlon).

Bob Hayes

Bob Hayes is the only athlete in history to win the Olympic gold and a Super Bowl title.  At the 1964 Summer Olympics, in Tokyo, Hayes won the 100-meter. He won a second gold medal in the 4×100-meter relay.

Ron Brown

Ron Brown is a winner of the gold medal in the 4×100-meter relay at the 1984 Summer Olympics. He played for the Los Angeles Raiders and Rams in the NFL.

Milt Campbell

In 1956, Milt Campbell won the gold medal in the decathlon of the Summer Olympics. He played for the Cleveland Browns in 1957.  He rushed seven times for 23 total yards in the halfback position and played alongside MVP and Rookie of the Year running back Jim Brown.

Henry Carr

Henry Carr won two gold medals at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. Carr won the 200-meter and anchored the winning 4×400-meter relay team to a world record. He played three seasons as a New York Giant after being selected in the fifth round of the 1965 draft.

Glenn Davis

Glenn Davis won Olympic titles in the 400-meter hurdles at both the Melbourne Olympics in 1956 and the Rome Olympics in 1960. Davis won a third gold medal as a member of the United States 4×400-meter relay team in 1960. Davis played wide receiver for the Detroit Lions in 1960 and ’61.

Sam Graddy

At the Los Angeles Olympics, Graddy was second behind Carl Lewis in 100-meter and ran the first leg in the American 4×100-meter relay team, which won the gold medal. He played for the Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Raiders from 1987-92.

Jim Hines

Jim Hines won individual and relay gold at the Mexico City Olympics. The golds came in the 100-meter and 4×100-meter relay. He played football for the Miami Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs.

Lam Jones

Johnny “Lam” Jones won a gold medal in the 4×100-meter relay at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal. He played for the New York Jets, San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys.

Glenn Morris

Glenn Morris won a gold medal in the Olympic decathlon in 1936, setting world and Olympic records. Morris played four games with the Detroit Lions in 1940.

Tommie Smith

Tommie Smith won the 200-meter gold medal in 19.83 seconds – the first time the 20-second barrier was broken officially — at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics. He participated with third-place finisher John Carlos in the national anthem protest after the victory. Smith played for the Bengals in 1969.

Gerald Tinker

Gerald Tinker was a winner of a gold medal in the 4×100-meter relay at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich. Tinker was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the second round (44th overall) of the 1974 NFL draft as a wide receiver. He played for the Falcons (1974–1975) and the Green Bay Packers (1975).

James Jett

James Jett won a gold medal in the 1992 Summer Olympics as part of the 4×100-meter relay team. He played for the Los Angeles and Oakland Raiders from 1993-2002 and had 256 catches, including 30 for touchdowns.

John Spellman

John Spellman was an American wrestler and Olympic champion. He competed at the 1924 Olympics in Paris, where he won a gold medal in freestyle light heavyweight. He played for the Providence Steam Roller and Boston Braves.

Jim Bausch

Jim Bausch won the decathlon at the 1932 Summer Olympics held in Los Angeles in the decathlon. Bausch also played professional football as a halfback for the Chicago Cardinals and Cincinnati Reds.

This article originally appeared on List Wire: 15 NFL players who won gold medals at the Summer Olympics