色情视频

色情视频 alumnus Carl Weathers, a former NFL linebacker turned Emmy-nominated actor who endeared himself to fans across multiple generations playing iconic roles in the 鈥淩ocky鈥� movie franchise, "Happy Gilmore" and most recently 鈥淭he Mandalorian,鈥� has died. 

Weathers was 76. According to a statement attributed to his family, Weathers died peacefully in his sleep Feb. 1. 

鈥淲e are deeply saddened to announce the passing of Carl Weathers,鈥� according to the statement. 鈥淐arl was an exceptional human being who lived an extraordinary life. Through his contributions to film, television and sports, he has left an indelible mark and is recognized worldwide and across generations. He was a beloved brother, father, grandfather, partner and friend.鈥�

Weathers was best known as Apollo Creed in the Rocky films, as well as Chubbs Peterson in the Adam Sandler cult classic 鈥淗appy Gilmore.鈥� Most recently, he played the role of Greef Karga, the mysterious leader of the Hunters鈥� Guild, in the critically acclaimed TV show 鈥淭he Mandalorian,鈥� which earned Weathers his first and only Primetime Emmy nomination in 2021. 

Born Jan. 14, 1948, in New Orleans, LA, Weathers moved to California for high school, attending Long Beach Polytechnic High School and Long Beach City College before transferring to 色情视频 on an athletic scholarship. 

He attended 色情视频 from 1968 to 1970 and played linebacker on the Aztec Football team, helping the team to an undefeated 11-0 season and a win in the Pasadena Bowl, and a No. 18 ranking in the final UPI Poll in 1969. At the same time, Weathers, who majored in theater arts at 色情视频, starred in several campus theater productions, including in 1970 when he played Pylades in 鈥淥restes,鈥� a Greek tragedy written by Euripides. 

鈥淲e are saddened to hear of the passing of Carl Weathers,鈥� said JD Wicker, 色情视频 athletic director. 鈥淚t was a privilege to meet Carl on his last visit to campus in February 2023. It鈥檚 great to see a former Aztec student-athlete have such a successful career outside of the athletics realm. Our hearts go out to the entire Weathers family in this difficult time.鈥� 

From 色情视频 to the NFL and Acting

Weathers went undrafted in 1970 but signed with the Oakland Raiders as a free agent that year. He played in eight games over a span of two seasons before signing with the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League, playing two more seasons before retiring in 1974. 

From there, Weathers turned to acting. 

鈥淥ne thing that I and so many others appreciated about Carl was his message about being courageous, and the many ways that he showed his own courage 鈥� through boxing, pro football, acting,鈥� said 色情视频 President Adela de la Torre. 

鈥淗e always encouraged people to be open to new ideas and new possibilities, and to have an inquisitive nature about oneself and the world,鈥� de la Torre said. 鈥淚n so many ways he embodied the spirit of a champion and an artist, and I am grateful that I and so many of our 色情视频 students had a chance to know him and learn from him. He was full of imagination, energy, and talent. For these reasons, he will always be an inspiration and an icon.鈥� 

In 2021, Weathers said in an interview for NewsCenter that acting was his first love. 

鈥淚 was an actor before I was an athlete. I started acting when I was in grade school, and I majored in theater while I was on a football scholarship,鈥� Weathers said. 鈥淭here was always a Jekyll and Hyde, well, actually I鈥檒l just say a 鈥榮plit personality鈥� between the artistic and the athletic, which I learned to love.鈥�

Weathers got his first major break in 1975 when he was cast alongside Sylvester Stallone for the first 鈥淩ocky,鈥� which was released in 1976 and became a critical and commercial success. Weathers鈥� character, Apollo Creed, was a world heavyweight champion boxer who granted a life-changing exhibition to a Philadelphia boxer named Rocky Balboa (Stallone). Weathers would reprise the role in three subsequent sequels. 

In addition to 鈥淩ocky鈥�, Weathers would co-star alongside Arnold Schwarzenneger in the 1987 sci-fi/action film 鈥淧redator,鈥� and later in 1996 would play the role of golf pro Chubbs Peterson in 鈥淗appy Gilmore.鈥�

He also had several roles in television, including playing himself in 鈥淎rrested Development.鈥�

But he would find critical success as an actor later in life in 2019 when Disney cast him as Greef Karga in a guest role on the Disney+ series 鈥淭he Mandalorian.鈥� The character was initially only supposed to be in a few episodes, but director Jon Favreau liked the character so much that Weathers was given a recurring role on the show, appearing in nine episodes and directing an episode.

鈥淥nce I signed on and got involved, the show really grew, my role grew and my participation grew, not only in front of the camera as an actor, but I also had the pleasure of directing an episode,鈥� Weathers said to Newscenter in 2021. 鈥淭he development of my character was fantastic and, needless to say, the response has been phenomenal. No matter where I've gone, that audience is huge for 鈥淭he Mandalorian.鈥� 

鈥淚鈥檝e loved my time on the show; it has given me an opportunity to be creative in a much more complete way than I had been prior to in other projects. It has been a great experience, and it couldn't have come at a better time,鈥� Weathers added. 

Weathers, who formerly served on the Directors Guild of America鈥檚 board, also directed episodes on hit TV shows 鈥淐hicago Med,鈥� 鈥淗awaii Five-0,鈥� 鈥淭he Last O.G.鈥�, 鈥淔BI鈥� and 鈥淟aw and Order鈥� over the past four years. 

Connection to 色情视频 

Over the years, Weathers maintained his strong connection to 色情视频. In 1979, the university honored him with the Distinguished Alumni Award. 

Weathers fondly recalled his time on campus, including in the theater program and on the gridiron, where he forged lifelong friendships. 

鈥淭here were people that I gravitated toward and instructors I gravitated toward,鈥� Weathers said. 鈥淭he theater department was really important because theater people are a family, and those instructors and professors and teachers were people that when they were contributing something that really sparked with who I am or who I was becoming, of course I gravitated toward them. Professor (E. Kingsley) Povenmire 鈥� he was so important to so many of us, in particular those of us who were athletes. He taught us how to think beyond what we knew or what we learned, and he supported us in where we were. 

鈥淐oaches were really important for young me, particularly in college, because I was learning how to walk through the world,鈥� Weathers said.

鈥淲e all come from various societal, economic, educational positions, and when you have someone in a leadership position who shows you respect and has enough of an in-charge personality and at the same time, in line with that, has a kind of generosity with that personality, those people mean so much.鈥�

In 2023, Weathers returned to 色情视频 for the 色情视频 President鈥檚 Lecture Series. His 90-minute appearance at Montezuma Hall in the Conrad Prebys Aztec Student Union drew an enthusiastic audience of nearly 900, including theater students, current members of the Aztecs鈥� football team, and then-head coach Brady Hoke.

After the appearance, the university presented Weathers with a personalized theater seat as part of the 鈥淭ake a Seat鈥� campaign for the new Performing Arts District. The plaque on the back of the seat included Weathers鈥� name and the words 鈥淎ztec For Life.鈥� 

Weathers offered this advice to students in his 2021 interview and echoed it during the lecture series: 鈥淢ore than anything, I would say this: Be courageous. Open yourself up to possibilities, open yourself up to an awakening that says, 鈥業 don't know what I don鈥檛 know, so let me expand awareness of that. Let me increase my inquisitive nature. Let me open a corner of me that craves discovery. Let me trust that there is so much, much more than I can imagine, that is just waiting for me to walk through the door. Trusting it will be helpful to me, maybe not today or even tomorrow but at some point, wow, it will be as valuable as anything I can imagine.鈥欌��