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?

More Than Name Recognition?

"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.

"When you take on a popular incumbent such as Swann did, victory is not guaranteed," said Brown University professor Darrell West, author of the book "Celebrity Politics." "Athletic fame cannot overcome strong opponents."

Overcoming Stereotypes

One challenge that athletes who want to be candidates face is the insinuation they are merely athletic celebrities, not political leaders.

"They must overcome stereotypes that they are dumb jocks who don't understand anything about politics," said West.

Former Seattle Seahawk wide receiver Steve Largent, who ran for Congress as part of Newt Gingrich's "Contract with America," admitted in 1994 that he didn't know what GOP stood for until after he was elected. He also once joked that he had trouble remembering a speech he'd given because he'd been hit in the head so many times.

In Shuler's race, the Taylor campaign tried to brand him as a rookie to the political arena. But that strategy may have actually backfired.

"Athletes make appealing candidates because they are well known and come from outside the political process," said West. "Voters like the fact they have not spent a lifetime cutting political deals." West added that athletes' experience in the public spotlight is also helpful for making the transition to positions of political leadership.

Transferring Skills

In addition, athletes may benefit from the personal skills they demonstrated on the playing field. Shuler says teamwork and dedication were key lessons he learned in his football career, as well as the ability to handle pressure.

"I've been in a lot of pressure situations before," said Shuler as he walked towards his new office on Capitol Hill. "It's the same thing here -- it's how you perform under pressure."

Jack Kemp, who played quarterback in the NFL for 12 seasons before winning a congressional seat in upstate New York, said he learned "not to listen to the crowd" as a player -- something that helped him stand firm as a politician.

"You learn not to be moved by popular opinion," said Kemp.

Rosabeth Moss-Kanter, a professor at Harvard Business School and author of "Confidence: How Winning Streaks & Losing Streaks Begin & End," said perseverance and flexibility are key characteristics that transfer from sports to politics.

"[Political leaders] need to be attuned to data about impact and able to adjust accordingly -- to be flexible in the middle of the game," she said.

As for Largent, perhaps it was the same perseverance he demonstrated in his record-setting 14 seasons with the Seattle Seahawks that led to his eventual success in Congress. In 1999, Largent delivered the GOP's response to President Clinton's State of the Union address.

And in the same fashion in which he missed only four games because of injuries in his first 13 seasons, Largent was present for 93 percent of the votes during his congressional career. In 2002, he lost the race for Oklahoma governor by just 7,000 votes.

Though Largent ran for office largely on his Hall of Fame credentials, it can help athletes if they cultivate other leadership experiences as they transition between their athletic and political careers.

After his NFL career ended with a foot injury in 1997, Shuler started a real estate agency with his brother, Benjie. It's now one of the largest independent real estate firms in east Tennessee, with more than 200 employees.

During his career, Kemp co-founded the AFL Players Association and was elected its president five times. Two years after he retired, he won his 1971 race for Congress and served 18 years before an unsuccessful presidential bid in 1988. Kemp later served as secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development under the first President Bush, and was Bob Dole's running mate in the 1996 presidential election.

He has followed Shuler's candidacy and said he's impressed.

"He's proved to be a thoughtful leader," said Kemp, a Republican.

Whether Shuler draws on his athletic or political experience, starting today, the pressure will be on as he and the Democratic Congress take control of the House. Shuler said he's excited for the first 100 hours and is eager to pass the same legislation he campaigned on, like raising the federal minimum wage.

And Shuler is aware that the stakes are high.

"In the NFL, our team was maybe 50 people," he said. "The 11th congressional district is 230 or 240,000 people. So the team's a lot bigger."