Erik Swoope scored a touchdown for the Indianapolis Colts, and while it looks like just another touchdown on the field, Swoope has quite an interesting story.
Erik Swoope, former basketball player, scored the 1st touchdown of his life against the Vikings
Swoope never played football prior to the NFL.
Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports
Swoope had never played a down of football in his life. He didn’t play Pop Warner, flag, junior high, high school, anything. He went to the University of Miami, where he played basketball. He considered playing football after the ACC Tournament in March 2014 when the Denver Broncos inquired about him to Adam Fisher, Miami’s director of basketball operations.
He had a pro day at Miami, catching passes for the first time, and after the workout, 19 teams called to talk about Swoope. He texted Jimmy Graham for advice. “I don’t know if you remember me ...” he said, according to the Indianapolis Star, “but I’m thinking about giving football a shot ... I’d love your two cents.” The two would start to work out, along with Jonathan Vilma.
On Sunday, he scored his first NFL touchdown. That’s pretty dang good for somebody who really hadn’t given it a thought for most of his life, and had even said that at one point, “I had no idea what was going on at first, no clue.”
He joins a list of guys like Graham, Antonio Gates, Tony Gonzalez, Joe Reitz, and others who played college basketball and pro football.
See More:
