We had some really good defensive linemen. Orgeron: "Dwayne was a good player, but he wasn’t one of our star players. If he’d tell you anything else he’d be lying to you." I love him to death, but he couldn’t play with me. Sapp: "There was no competition between us. If not for, Dwayne could have been an all-conference, perhaps an all-American." Orgeron: "You’re talking about one of the best college football players of all time. I said it jokingly, but I was there for his job." "I said, 'I’m here for your job.' So that’s how me and him had our introduction to each other. "So I came into the D-line room and sat down, and Dwayne Johnson walks in and says, 'What are you doing here?'
I thought I was a pretty good tight end and a pretty good athlete, but being 290 pounds, they moved me to D-line and said, 'We need you to rush the passer or you can go home.' "When he was there, I was a tight end in high school and I got as a tight end and linebacker, and they moved me over to D-line. He was the kind of guy you want your sister to date, because he was a nice guy. Warren Sapp, University of Miami teammate (1992-1995): "He was a specimen. "The problem with Dwayne was there was a guy named Warren Sapp who came along the next year." Sapp's arrival relegated Johnson to a backup role. But he was very strong, he had some great practices and we were able to play him as a freshman, and at one point we thought maybe we’d start him as a freshman. Orgeron: "As a freshman, he came out, and back then we didn’t play too many freshmen. He didn’t just become one as soon as he became a wrestler. "And you look over and there’s this yoked-up kid with muscles everywhere walking around on the field. Our D-line coach, who was recruiting him, he was very proud, and he says, 'Look at my new dog.' "I can remember one of the first times he was on campus, it was an official visit. "You look at those rosters that Dewey was a part of, they were loaded with talent and he was competitive. If you were on that team and a scholarship player, you were highly recognized. Kevin Patrick, University of Miami teammate (defensive end, 1989-1993): "At that time in college football I don’t think there was any doubt the University of Miami was at the top of their game. He came in and played a lot as a freshman." He was easily coachable and everybody was impressed with him.
He was a hard worker and a humble young man. He was developed and was extremely quick. We were excited to have him, he came to us ahead of his time. Orgeron, University of Miami defensive line coach (1989-1992): "He was a highly recruited kid. Still, Johnson left an impression on coaches and teammates that went deeper than his numbers, starting with the man who recruited him, Ed Orgeron, currently the defensive coordinator at USC.Ĭoaches and teammates called Johnson an athletic "specimen." Miami/Collegiate Images/Getty Images Over his four years with the Hurricanes, the 6-foot-5, 290-pound Johnson started only once, appearing in 39 games with a total of 77 tackles and 4.25 sacks. Wrestling is actually the Johnson family business - his father Rocky Johnson was a star in the 1970s and '80s, while his Samoan grandfather Peter Maivia was famous in the 1960s.īut before “The Rock,” Dwayne Johnson was a burly defensive lineman that teammates called “Dewey” who wasn’t afraid to walk around in a traditional lava-lava skirt and belt out country music tunes at the University of Miami 20 years ago.Īfter finishing high school in Pennsylvania, Johnson joined Dennis Erickson’s Hurricanes in 1991, a team that would go on to win the national championship. By this time next year, he’ll have starred in more than 20 movies, while continuing to make his presence felt in the wrestling world. While the film role may have been seen as a way for producers to rope in fans of Johnson’s wrestling career, it actually sparked what turned out to be a lengthy and lucrative foray into the film world.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson rose to fame thanks to his exploits in the pro wrestling ring and got his first break in the movie business as the Scorpion King in 2001’s “The Mummy Returns.”