By StephanieLee Elliott

FROM WIKIPEDIA COMMONS

Carl Weathers (January 14, 1948 – February 1, 2024) was an American actor, director and football linebacker. His roles included boxer Apollo Creed in the first four Rocky films (1976–1985), Colonel Al Dillon in Predator (1987), and Combat Carl in the Toy Story franchise. He also portrayed Det. Beaudreaux in the television series Street Justice (1991–1993) and a fictionalized version of himself in the comedy series Arrested Development (2004, 2013), and voiced Omnitraxus Prime in Star vs. the Forces of Evil (2017–2019). He had a recurring role as Greef Karga in the Star Wars series The Mandalorian (2019–2023), for which he was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series.

Weathers played college football for the San Diego State Aztecs. He signed with the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League (NFL) after going undrafted in the 1970 NFL Draft. After being released by the Raiders, he signed with the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League (CFL).

Weathers died at his home in Los Angeles on February 1, 2024, at the age of 76. His family issued a statement saying he died “peacefully in his sleep”.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL CAREER

Weathers played football as a defensive end in college. He started his college career in 1966 at Long Beach City College.

He then transferred and played for San Diego State University, becoming a letterman for the San Diego State Aztecs in 1968 and 1969, helping the Aztecs win the 1969 Pasadena Bowl, finishing with an 11–0 record, and a No. 18 ranking in the Final UPI Poll, playing for head coach Don Coryell. At San Diego State, Weathers received a master in theatre arts.

PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL CAREER

Weathers signed with the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League (NFL) as an undrafted free agent in 1970. Now playing as a linebacker, Weathers played in seven games for the Raiders in 1970, helping them win the AFC West Division title, on their way to the first-ever AFC Championship Game. Before the 1971 season, Weathers converted into a strong safety. He only played in one game in 1971, before the Raiders released him in September 1971.

Later that month, Weathers signed with the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League. He played for the Lions until 1973, playing 13 games in total. During the off-seasons, Weathers attended San Francisco State University and earned a bachelor’s degree in drama in 1974.

Weathers retired from football in 1974, and began pursuing an acting career. In his NFL career he appeared in 8 games in two seasons, but did not record any stats. The only stat he recorded in his CFL career was a single fumble recovery. In later years, Weathers narrated NFL Films‘ season recap of the 1999, 2000 and 2001 seasons. During the 2017 NFL Draft, he appeared on NFL Network‘s pre-draft coverage.