Who is Brian Keith Bosworth? The football world knows him as Brian Bosworth or The Boz, is a former
American football player. He was a
linebacker for the
University of Oklahoma (1984–1986) and the
Seattle Seahawks of the
National Football League (1987–1989).
Bosworth was born March 9, 1965 in
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, he attended
MacArthur High School in
Irving, Texas.

Bosworth was a college standout at the
University of Oklahoma, where he was one of many blue-chip recruits from Texas lured across the border by longtime coach
Barry Switzer.

Known for his then radical hairstyles and criticism of the
NCAA as much as his play on the field, Bosworth was never one to shy from publicity or controversy. On more than one occasion "The Boz" referred to the NCAA as the "National Communists Against Athletes." He wore a shirt bearing that slogan during the 1987
Orange Bowl following the 1986 season. Banned from the game because of
steroid use, Bosworth unveiled the shirt while standing on the sidelines to the shock and outrage of many, including his own coach, Switzer. While Switzer was known for running a loose ship, this incident was too much even for him, and he threw Bosworth off the team.
[1]
A strong side linebacker throughout his college career,
[2] Bosworth was known for raising his level of play in big games. He was regarded as a great tackler, though sometimes criticized for tackling too high. The winner of the first two
Butkus Awards 
as the nation's top college linebacker, he remains the only player ever to have won the accolade more than once. College Football News named him #30 on its list of the "100 Greatest College Players of All-Time."
In addition to his athletic accomplishments, Bosworth was a very good student who graduated a year ahead of his freshman class, thus making him eligible for the NFL's supplemental draft.
In September 1988, Bosworth wrote an autobiography, The Boz, with
Sports Illustrated's
Rick Reilly.

In it, Bosworth said the Sooner program was laden with drug use, gunplay in the athletic dorm and other wild behavior. Although many Sooner boosters dismissed it as the rantings of a resentful ex-player, an NCAA report issued three months later revealed many of the same things Bosworth had written about, and ultimately led to Switzer being forced to resign.
[1]
Prior to his entry into the NFL supplemental draft, Bosworth had sent letters to various NFL teams stating that, if they drafted him, he wouldn't report to their training camp and he wouldn't play for them. As a joke, the
Tacoma Stars of the
Major Indoor Soccer League selected him in the 12th round in their 1987 draft, as their general manager jokingly stated, "Because we didn't receive a letter from him that he wouldn't play for us."


Bosworth was drafted by the Seahawks in the
1987 NFL supplemental draft and signed what was both the biggest contract in team history and the biggest rookie contract in NFL history: 10 years for US$11 million. After being drafted by the Seahawks, Bosworth sued the NFL for the right to wear #44 (the number he wore in college). Bosworth lost the case and was forced to wear #55 in the pros. Despite playing his entire college career on the strong side, he was moved to the Seahawks' weak side.
Remembered for his less than stellar professional career, Bosworth was named the 6th worst flop on the
Biggest Flops of the Last 25 Years list by
ESPN in July 2004 and number three on
NFL Network's
NFL Top 10 Draft Busts). Most recently, Bosworth made an appearance in the booth during the Monday Night Football broadcast that saw the Seattle Seahawks host the Oakland Raiders on November 6, 2006. During the discussion, he stated he had no regrets about his football career, but wished that he and
Bo Jackson 
had had longer careers. He also stated that he thought he and Jackson would have developed a good rivalry, had they both been able to play longer.
Bosworth was also a color commentator for the short-lived
XFL during their only season of existence in 2001.

Bosworth starred in the
1991 action film
Stone Cold and has had an on-again, off-again film career starring in several low budget titles such as
One Man's Justice 
that went straight to DVD. In
2005, he had a role as one of the prison-guard football players in the
Adam Sandler movie remake
The Longest Yard.


Bosworth married his high school girlfriend, Katherine Nicastro, in September 1993. The couple have three children, but have currently filed for
divorce. Brian also has two nephews, Kyle and Korey Bosworth, who play for the UCLA Bruins. Bosworth became a real estate agent for The Sotheby's International Realty Malibu Brokerage office.
[3] In August 2007 he was listed as the selling agent for the sale of his own Malibu home at 6375 Meadows Court.
[4] On July 5th, 2008, Bosworth assisted with the rescue of a woman who rolled her
SUV east of
Winnipeg,
Manitoba.
[5]
On March 6, 2009; Bosworth was arrested for a
DUI charge by Los Angeles police.
[6]more