From the Gridiron to Government

Jan. 4, 2007 — -- At the University of Tennessee in the early 1990s, one name was on the lips of every Tennessee Volunteers football fan: Heath.

For three seasons, standout quarterback Heath Shuler set a slew of passing records and in 1993, was runner-up in the Heisman Trophy voting.

Starting today, Shuler will try to take the same skills that made him a success on the football field to Capitol Hill, where he'll be sworn in as the Democratic representative for North Carolina's 11th congressional district.

Shuler joins a number of athletic stars who have made the transition from the gridiron to government. Former congressmen Jack Kemp and Steve Largent were also successful football players, as was the late President Gerald Ford, who was center on the University of Michigan football team from 1932 to 1934.

But does success on the playing field translate to success in politics?

"It's more important what you've done off the field," said Shuler. But he admitted that name recognition helps. "It's not like I have to go around introducing myself to other members of Congress."

He also didn't have to introduce himself to voters in his district. Any football fan worth their salt in the South had already heard of Shuler. Before matriculating to the University of Tennessee, Shuler won three North Carolina state championships for Swain County High School.

Though his four-year NFL career never took off, Shuler's celebrity status was no doubt on the mind of Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Rahm Emmanuel, who drafted Shuler to run against North Carolina Republican incumbent Charles Taylor. Shuler said he never thought he would run for Congress, but Emmanuel was persistent.

"College coaches who are recruiting for their freshman class could learn a lot from Rahm," said Shuler, who added that Emmanuel had 60 different congressmen call him at home to ask him to enter the race.

But name recognition isn't everything. Getting into the race is one thing; winning is another. Former Pittsburgh Steeler Hall of Fame receiver Lynn Swann's race for Pennsylvania governor came up short last fall against a seasoned opponent, Democratic incumbent Edward Rendell. Swann, a Republican, only garnered 40 percent of the vote.