If it wasn't for the death of his father, at the tender age of seven, and his step-father's encouragement to play sports, Jim Hart might have never pursued a career in professional football. However, that one piece of fatherly influence led Hart to become a three-sport athlete in high school and he even lettered in basketball a total of three times. After becoming known for prowess on the football field, Hart was granted a scholarship to football for the Southern Illinois University Salukis where he played from 1963 to 1965.
Unfortunately, after going unnoticed throughout his collegiate stint at Southern Illinois and declaring himself into the 1966 NFL Draft, Jim Hart went undrafted. Luckily, his former coach Don Shroyer sent him an invite to try out for the St. Louis Cardinals that same year which led to Hart getting a backup quarterback position behind Terry Nofsinger. The following year, in 1967, Hart earned the starting quarterback position where he would start sixteen years out of the seventeen seasons he played with the team. While he did lead the team to multiple ten-plus win seasons, Hart was never able to get the team to the Super Bowl. The 4x Pro Bowler also developed a knack for throwing interceptions throwing a total of 247 in comparison to the 209 touchdowns he threw throughout his eighteen-season NFL career. Hart also threw an NFL record five interceptions in the1977 Pro Bowl. Eventually, Hart would call it quits after becoming a backup quarterback for the Washington Redskins for a single season in 1984.
Chefs made their way into celebrity land a while ago. But how many celebrities that weren’t trained as professional cooks are actually whizzes in the kitchen? Here are several that come to mind.
Actress Julia Roberts is confident about her cooking skills. “I’m quite a good cook,” she told E! News. “I’m like a closet home ec teacher…I can really cook anything.” Roberts has said she often cooks fish for herself and her kids. And speaking of her three children, “They think that I’m a good cook,” Roberts told People. “They actually told me that I should open a restaurant.” She also relishes cooking for the holidays, particularly shredded Brussel sprouts. Roberts hasn’t published a cookbook, but we did find recipes attributed to her for peach crisp and banana hemp muffins. Or you can make the same summer salad the actress supposedly eats.
Chrissy Teigen started off as a supermodel. Then her love of cooking filtered into her professional life too. At this point, she’s created recipes for a limited Blue Apron release and also just launched her own home and cooking line at Target named “Cravings,” after the two cookbooks she’s released. Teigen describes cooking as “a time of peace” for herself. So maybe peace out to her tuna melt sandwich or the fried chicken wings that are a favorite of her husband, John Legend.
Lady Gaga, whose real name is Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, comes from a cooking Italian family. Her father started his own restaurant in New York and also published a cookbook. And apparently, Lady Gaga has inherited the family’s cooking genes. Her Instagram account occasionally features photos of her culinary activities. Sure, sometimes it’s topless cooking. But other times it’s more poignant like in the post she shared about her bringing food to the family of her dear friend who passed away. Want to try a Gaga/Germanotta family favorite? Check out her recipe for whole wheat pasta with a sweet fennel sauce.