8. Lawrence Taylor
Pro-Football Career: Twelve seasons in the NFL
Teams Played For: New York Giants

One of the most colorful figures to ever come out of football, or any sport for that matter, Lawrence Taylor has repeatedly proven that you cannot count him out. Without much of an acting resume under his belt, he managed to snag supporting roles in films like Any Given Sunday and Shaft, and actually deliver the goods. He even proved he could be funny on HBO’s 1st and Ten. The Original LT, however, always seems to be at his best when he’s playing himself, whether its with cameos in comedies like last years The Comebacks or Adam Sandler’s The Waterboy, or taking to the squared circle to battle legendary wrestler Bam Bam Bigelow at Wrestlemania XI — the man has managed to do just about everything one can do, and he’s still got a lot of years left in him. Everything I’ve seen him in I’ve thoroughly enjoyed, so here's to LT doing us all a favor, and doing a few more things in front of the camera.

7. Fred Williamson
Pro-Football Career: Seven seasons in the NFL
Teams Played For: Pittsburgh Steelers, Oakland Raiders (DRINK!), Kansas City Chiefs

Richard Roundtree may have been the face that launched Blaxploitation cinema in the early '70s, but few carried the genre better than Fred “Hammer” Williamson. Oh, the endless amounts of joy this man has brought me over the years is something I truly treasure. Out of all the Blaxploitation leading men, Fred always seemed to be the best at addressing the issue of race without alienating non-black audiences. Sure, most of the plots had to do with inequality, but the rest of them were just so much damn fun, you couldn’t help but ride along with a smile on yourself. It almost makes me sad that most kids today only recognize him as Frost, the big, black, biker bad-ass in From Dusk Till Dawn (if at all), because he’s seriously got a mountain of work under his belt! To prove the sheer brilliance this man possesses: He once starred in a Blaxploitation western called Boss N(self censor)r — of which he was the titular character, and — get this — he also wrote the screenplay! This is one of the few films I’ve yet to see, but after reading reviews it definitely sounds like a must see!

6. Terry Crews
Pro-Football Career: Six seasons in the NFL
Teams Played For: Los Angeles Rams, Green Bay Packers, San Diego Chargers, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Redskins

You may not know his name, but if you’ve been paying attention to TV and cinema lately, you’ve no doubt seen his face. Terry Crews is big, intimidating, and gifted with an incredible sense of humor. He could take the easy road of being a B-movie action star (like many on this list), but instead he’s flexing more than just physical muscle, he’s flexing his acting muscles, not to mention flexing his funny bone every chance he gets. Whether he’s putting a boot to fools as T-Money on Battle Dome, lusting after a Wayans brother in drag in White Chicks, playing an inmate in Adam Sandler's The Longest Yard (DRINK!), or burning the candle at both ends to raise his family in Everybody Hates Chris, Terry is proving he’s more than just another meathead ex-jock — he’s the real deal. And when all is said and done, I don’t doubt that he’ll be at the tops of many future lists just like this. All hail President Dwayne Elizondo Mountain Dew Herbert Camacho!