This story was excerpted from The Baseball Traveler newsletter.

Minor League Baseball players often go on to achieve success and stardom, but this celebrity isn’t necessarily restricted to the baseball diamond. The following individuals didn’t make a mark in their baseball careers, instead going on to become household names while pursuing a different passion. If at first you don’t succeed, try something else!

Before they were stars

Mario Cuomo (OF, 1952)
Mario Cuomo served three terms as New York governor, becoming a nationally prominent figure in the process. Before his political triumphs he was just a baseball-obsessed kid from Queens, one with enough talent to get signed by the Pirates in 1952 (the scout who signed him was in NYC to check out an up-and-comer named Whitey Ford). Cuomo was assigned to the Brunswick Pirates of the Florida-Georgia League, his strong start ultimately negated by injury. In 1953, he chose a college education in lieu of baseball and the rest, as they say, is history.

Cuomo is perhaps the most notable politician to have played Minor League Baseball. However, Dwight Eisenhower is rumored to have done so as well. We might never know for sure.

Charley Pride (RHP, 1953-60)
Charley Pride never got close to Cooperstown enshrinement but he nonetheless went on to have a Hall of Fame career. The trailblazing Black country music star logged 30 No. 1 hits over his career, most in the 1970s, and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2000. Pride grew up poor in Mississippi and initially saw baseball as the path to a better life. He played throughout the country during much of the 1950s, logging time with Negro, Minor, barnstorming and semi-pro league teams. While his strong pitching arm kept him employed, it was his golden voice that eventually earned him wealth and fame.

Ron Shelton (2B, 1967-71)
“Bull Durham” was a surprise hit upon release and is now considered to be one of the best baseball movies of all time. Its true-to-life details regarding life in the Minor Leagues resonated with a large audience, and that’s because director Ron Shelton lived that life. He spent five seasons in the Baltimore Orioles system, suiting up for five teams along the way. None of those teams was the Durham Bulls, but there’s nothing wrong with taking a little artistic license.

Kurt Russell (2B, 1971-73)
Bing Russell was an actor and a baseball executive and his son, Kurt, followed his father’s footsteps. The future movie star’s pursuit of a baseball career effectively ended in 1973, after he suffered a torn rotator cuff while playing for the Double-A El Paso Sun Kings. By that point Russell’s acting career was on the rise, allowing him to make a relatively seamless transition from the baseball diamond. “I don’t regret anything except the injury itself,” Russell told MiLB.com’s Michael Avallone in 2019. “Playing more would have been great, but it wasn’t meant to be.”

Randy Poffo (a.k.a. Randy “Macho Man” Savage) (OF, 1971-74)
Ooooooh yeah! The flamboyant wrestler known far and wide as Randy “Macho Man” Savage preceded this heel turn with a professional baseball career. Poffo played in the Minor Leagues for four seasons, primarily within the St. Louis Cardinals organization. Teammates remembered him as a quiet guy with, yes, a passion for wrestling. He was known for building makeshift rings in the clubhouse, and in 1973 (while he was still playing baseball) competed on the wrestling circuit as “The Spider.”

Scott Boras (2B-3B, 1974-77)
Yes, baseball’s most preeminent player representative was once a player himself. Boras spent four seasons in the Minor Leagues, largely in the Cardinals' system, making it as high as Double-A. A chronic knee injury put the kibosh on Boras’ playing career, so he went back to school and obtained a law degree. Boras’ current career began in the early 1980s when pitcher Mike Fischlin, a high school friend, asked him to serve as an agent.

John Elway (OF, 1982)
Tom Brady, Dan Marino and John Elway were all drafted by Major League teams, but Elway was the only one among these quarterback luminaries who went on to play in the Minors. The Yankees, wowed by the Stanford standout’s booming bat and powerful right arm, selected Elway in the second round of the 1981 Draft and signed him for the then-prodigious sum of $140,000. His lone professional season was with the Class A Short-Season Oneonta Yankees in 1982; over 42 games he hit .318, stole 13 bases and walked more than he struck out. Elway then returned to Stanford for his senior year, excelling on the gridiron once again. The Colts selected him with the first pick of the 1983 NFL Draft, leading to a prolonged drama: Which sport would Elway choose to play professionally? We all know how that turned out.

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While we're on topic...

Elway is one of many NFL players who also spent time playing Minor League Baseball. Others include, but are not limited to, the following:

John Lynch (P, 1992-93) -- Lynch, currently the general manager of the San Francisco 49ers, played 16 seasons in the NFL. He was drafted by the Florida Marlins in 1992 and, later that year, threw the first pitch in the history of the organization (playing for the Class A Short-Season Erie SeaWolves).

Ricky Williams (OF, 1995-98) -- From 1995-98 Williams was a star running back with the University of Texas. He was also a member of the Phillies’ organization during that time frame, appearing in 170 games overall. Football ultimately won out. Williams signed with the Saints and played his first NFL season in 1999.

Russell Wilson (2B, 2010-11) -- Wilson spent parts of two seasons playing in the Colorado Rockies' organization, suiting up for the Tri-City ValleyCats and Asheville Tourists.

Shaq Thompson (OF, 2012) -- Thompson, a Carolina Panthers linebacker, played 13 games for the Gulf Coast League Red Sox in 2012. It did not go well. He went 0-for-39 … with 37 strikeouts!

Tim Tebow (OF, 2017-19) -- After a stellar college football career and a serviceable stint in the NFL, Tebow pivoted to baseball at the age of 29. He held his own over three years in the Mets’ system, but never established himself as a Major League-level talent.

Michael Jordan (OF, 1994) -- In a list like this, there’s Michael Jordan and then there’s everybody else. Jordan, of course, was a star before he became a Minor Leaguer. He was the best basketball player in the word, arguably of all time, and yet he paused his professional career to pursue his baseball dreams. Jordan spent the 1994 season with the Double-A Birmingham Barons, a team piloted by rookie manager Terry Francona. He held his own but by no means excelled, and the following season he was back on the basketball court. Was it all a dream?

Other notables

Scott Patterson (RHP, 1980-86) -- Patterson, the Braves’ first selection in the 1980 Draft, made 255 appearances over seven Minor League seasons. He then transitioned to acting, making a big impression as Luke Danes, the diner owner on “Gilmore Girls.”

Eliot Asinof (OF, 1940-41) -- Asinof, the author of several baseball books (most notably “Eight Men Out”) played two seasons in the Phillies' farm system before enlisting in the Army.

Jim Reeves (RHP, 1945-47; ’49) -- Before he became the country music superstar known as Gentleman Jim, Reeves was a kid from rural Texas trying to make it as a ballplayer with the St. Louis Cardinals.

Drake Hogestyn (3B, 1976-77) -- The days of Hogestyn’s life included a short stint within the Yankees' organization. From 1982 until his death in 2024 he played John Black on “Days of our Lives.”

Nat “Sweetwater” Clifton (1B, 1949-50) -- Sweetwater debuted with the New York Knicks in 1950, becoming the first Black player to sign an NBA contract and the second to play in the league. This came on the heels of his second and final season within the Cleveland Indians' organization.

Bert Convy (OF, 1951-52) -- The actor and game show host spent two years in the Phillies' system, beginning when he was just 17 years old.