Retired...but far from done! Athletes who reinvented themselves and succeeded

To become an elite sportsperson, you need grit, determination and an extremely good work ethic, all traits that can help you in other walks of life as well, so let’s take a look at some of the sports people with the most success off the pitch, or court or field, etc etc

One of the greatest heavyweights of his era, the two-time world champion is perhaps better known for the range of ‘fat-reducing grills’ that bear his name. Foreman is estimated to have made at least $250 million from his association to the cooking equipment.

The Super Bowl champion and Hall of Fame enshrinee Strahan has become an accomplished broadcaster with spells on various TV shows including Good Morning America, NFL on Fox and Live! with Kelly and Michael.

Perhaps the most famous professional wrestler ever, Johnson was on course for a career in football before being beaten out by Hall of Famer Warren Sapp.

After being drafted in the first round of the 1987 draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers and playing 13 years in the NBA for Cleveland and the Suns, Johnson returned to his hometown of Sacramento. He was eventually elected mayor of the California capital.

Another basketball player-turned-politician, Bradley spent 12 years in the NBA before turning his attention to politics. He served as a US senator from January 3, 1979 – January 3, 1997 and was close to winning the Democratic nomination to run for the presidency in 2000.

Part of the legendary Wimbledon side known as ‘The Crazy Gang’ Jones was an accomplished footballer who terrified opponents with his violent play. His aggressiveness transferred nicely to the silver screen, playing starring roles in various gangster movies including the iconic Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.

The 6’10” lefty spent the best part of two decades terrifying opponents from the pitching mound, so it was a little surprising when he chose to take up professional photography as his post-playing career.

The former Patriots, Bills and Cowboys quarterback was a very good player in his day, although perhaps best known for his injury which led to Tom Brady becoming the Patriots starter and legend. Nowadays Bledsoe runs the Bledsoe Family Winery in Walla Walla Valley, Washington.

Whilst playing in the NFL is difficult, it’s not quite brain surgery, is it? Well fortunately for Myron Rolle, he’s got both bases covered. After a short stint as a safety in the NFL, he is now a Senior Neurosurgery Resident at Harvard Medical School. Incredibly impressive stuff.

‘Golden Balls’ spent over 20 years as a professional footballer, playing for some of the biggest teams in the world. Nowadays he has remained in football as co-owner of Inter Miami FC and Salford FC where he works with other members of Manchestet United’s famous ‘Class of ‘92’.

For most people, playing 16 years in the big leagues would be enough for one lifetime, but for Jim Bunning he wanted more, and found it in the US senate where he served for 12 years as the Senator for Kentucky.

An Olympic gold medalist as part of the ‘Magnificent Seven’ women’s gymnastics team at the 1996 games, Strug has now turned her attention in a completely different direction. After retraining in sociology, she took up a position in the US Justice Department's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.

Dave Bing spent 12 years in the NBA and used his career earnings to launch Bing Steel which later turned into the Bing Group producing products for the automotive industry amongst other things. Bing also spent two terms as Mayor of Detroit, which caps off one hell of a career.

Often brought up in conversations of who’s the greatest basketball player of all time, Johnson was a legendary player on the court. Post-retirement, Johnson started Magic Johnson Enterprises which owns franchises of many major retailers as well as a minority stake in the Los Angeles Dodgers.

During an MLB career lasting over a decade, Vaughn earned himself three all-star nods whilst playing for the Red Sox, Angels and Mets. Since his retirement he started OMNI New York which is focused on “helping revive economically distressed communities" according to the New York Post.

One of the very best to ever step foot on a basketball court, Jordan won everything there was to win during his career. Since then he has leveraged his earnings to become the majority owner of the Charlotte Hornets and the NASCAR team 23XI Racing.