‘Dancing With the Stars’: Every Athlete Who Ever Competed

Dancing with the Stars is one of ABC’s most popular shows as it’s been on air since June 2005. The show has produced 28 seasons with 448 episodes and various celebrities have competed in the dancing competition. And when it comes to the show and sports, athletes tend to do well on Dancing with the Stars.

In the third season of the show, Pro Football Hall of Fame running back Emmitt Smith became the first athlete to win Dancing with the Stars. He defeated celebrities such as Mario Lopez, Joey Lawrence and Jerry Springer.

“It is awesome! It is awesome!” Smith, after hugging his professional dance partner Cheryl Burke back in 2006 per Fox News. “We came a long way, we really have.”

There have been other athletes to win Dancing with the Stars such as former Green Bay Packers wide receiver Donald Driver and former NFL running back Rashad Jennings. There have even been sports reporters to take part in the competition such as ESPN’s Kenny Mayne and Fox Sports Erin Andrews who later became a host of the show.

But how many athletes have taken part in Dancing with the Stars? Scroll down to find out.

Evander Holyfield – Champion Boxer

Evander Holyfield was the first athlete to take part in Dancing with the Stars and he finished in fifth place out of six competitors. He is the only boxer to win the world heavyweight championship four times. 

Clyde Drexler – Hall of Fame Basketball Player

Clyde Drexler was a 10-time NBA All-Star who scored over 22,000 points in his career. He is know for his time with the Portland Trail Blazers but he won a championship when he was with the Houston Rockets in 1995. Drexler competed in Season 4 of the show and finished eighth.

Jerry Rice – Former NFL wide receiver

Jerry Rice came close to winning Season 2 of Dancing With the Stars as he finished runner-up behind Drew Lachey. Rice is considered one of the best football players in NFL history as he was named to the league’s 75th and 100th Anniversary All-Time Team.

Floyd Mayweather – Boxer

The undefeated boxing champion took part in the fifth season of Dancing with the Stars and he came in ninth. Mayweather has a 50-0 career boxing record and he was named Fighter of the 2010 Decade by the Boxing Writers Association of America.

Other Athletes

Emmitt Smith – Former Dallas Cowboys running back (Season 3 winner)

Laila Ali – Former boxer (Season 4)

Apolo Anton Ohno – Former speed skater (Season 4 winner)

Helio Castrovones – Auto racing driver (Season 5 winner)

Monica Seles – Retired tennis player (Season 6)

Jason Taylor – Former Miami Dolphins defensive end (Season 6 runner-up)

Maurice Greene – Former track sprinter (Season 7)

Warren Sapp – Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive lineman (Season 7 runner-up)

Lawrence Taylor – Former New York Giants linebacker (Season 8)

Melissa Rycroft – Former Dallas Cowboys cheerleader (Season 8)

Shawn Johnson – Former Olympic gymnast (Season 8 winner)

Chuck Liddell – Former UFC Champion (Season 9)

Natalie Coughlin – Former Olympic swimmer (Season 9)

Louie Vito – Olympic snowboarder (Season 9)

Michael Irvin – Former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver (Season 9)

Chad Johnson – Former Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver (Season 10)

Evan Lysacek – Olympic figure skater (Season 10 runner-up)

More Athletes

Rick Fox – Former NBA player (Season 11)

Kurt Warner – Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback (Seasons 11)

Sugar Ray Leonard – Former boxing champion (Season 12)

Chris Jericho – Pro wrestler (Season 12)

Hines Ward – Former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver (Season 12 winner)

Metta World Peace – Former NBA player (Season 13)

Hope Solo – Former soccer player (Season 13)

Martina Navratilova – Former tennis player (Season 14)

Donald Driver – Former Green Bay Packers wide receiver (Season 14 winner)

Dorothy Hamill – Former figure skater (Season 16)

Victor Ortiz – Boxing champion (Season 16)

Jacoby Jones – Former NFL wide receiver (Season 16)

Keyshawn Johnson – Former NFL wide receiver (Season 17)

Sean Avery – Former NHL player (Season 18)

Charlie White – Ice dancer (Season 18)

Meryl Davis – Ice dancer (Season 18 winner)

Additional Athletes

Lolo Jones – Track star and bobsledder (Season 19)

Randy Couture – Former UFC champion (Season 19)

Michael Waltrip – Former NASCAR driver (Season 19)

Michael Sam – Former pro football player (Season 20)

Nastia Liukin – Former gymnast (Season 20)

Victor Espinoza – Jockey (Season 21)

Doug Flutie – Former NFL quarterback (Season 22)

Von Miller – Denver Broncos linebacker (Season 22)

Antonio Brown – NFL wide receiver (Season 22)

Paige VanZant – UFC fighter (Season 22)

Ryan Lochte – Olympic swimmer (Season 23)

Calvin Johnson – Former Detroit Lions wide receiver (Season 23)

James Hinchcliffe – IndyCar driver (Season 23 runner-up)

Laurie Hernandez – Olympic gymnast (Season 23 winner)

Nancy Kerrigan – Former Olympic figure skater (Season 24)

Bonner Bolton – Former pro bull rider (Season 24)

Simone Biles – Olympic gymnast (Season 24)

David Ross – Chicago Cubs manager (Season 24 runner-up)

Rashad Jennings – Former NFL running back (Season 24 winner)

Derek Fisher – Former NBA player (Season 25)

Nikki Bella – Former WWE Superstar  (Season 25)

Terrell Owens – Pro Football Hall of Famer wide receiver (Season 25)

Victoria Arien – Former Paralympian swimmer (Season 25)

Mary Lou Retton – Former Olympic gymnast (Season 27)

DeMarcus Ware – Former NFL defensive end (Season 27)

Ray Lewis – Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker (Season 28)

Lamar Odom – NBA player (Season 28)

Season 26 – All about the Athletes

The 26th season of Dancing with the Stars featured just athletes. Here’s a look at the roster. 

Jamie Anderson – Olympic snowboarder 

Johnny Damon – Former MLB player 

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar – Former NBA player 

Arike Ogunbowale – Notre Dame women’s basketball player 

Jennie Finch Daigle – Former Olympic Softball pitcher 

Chris Mazdzer – Olympic Luger 

Mirai Nagasu – Olympic figure skater 

Tonya Harding – Former Olympic figure skater 

Josh Norman – NFL cornerback 

Adam Rippon – Olympic figure skater (Winner)