The King was a man of many passions and when he loved, he loved big. He may have become the biggest star in the world, but his tastes remained those of a “good old boy” of the American South. His new riches meant he could indulge in ever finer guns, cigars, cars, planes, motorcycles and jewellery for himself and those around him, but he also loved those most American of pursuits – hamburgers and, of course, the country’s number one favourite past-time.
From a young age, Elvis was also very much into sports. In particular, Elvis spent dozens of hours each week watching, reading about, and playing football (or American football).
His love for the sport began back when he was in secondary school, where he attended Humes High School in Memphis, Tennessee, and played for their football team – although he was not an all-star athlete as you might expect. Well into his adulthood, Elvis played football for fun but took it very seriously – to the point where he would create plays for his pals to follow during friendly games. In 1962 the Jailhouse Rock singer admitted his love for the great American sport.
Just a few years after graduating high school Elvis had become almost instantly and extraordinarily massively famous, so his football commitments had to take a back seat.
Elvis still got involved in any way he could, however. For example, he purchased every single ticket for his Humes High School football game – all 1,400 of them – so the students could attend at no cost. The star reportedly spent $1,050 on the tickets (approximately $10,000 in today’s currency).
He also continued to follow the NFL. The King’s favourite Football teams were the Cleveland Browns and the Pittsburg Steelers. He tried to attend every game they played – schedule permitting. Once he had settled into his new life in Graceland, Elvis continued his passions there.
Elvis frequently enjoyed games of football on the grounds of Graceland with his friends, the Memphis Mafia, during his downtime. Like everything he did, he gave it everything, the riskier the better. In 1960 The King broke a finger while playing football on his property with his pals – but he wouldn’t let that stop him. Even during working hours, he managed to squeeze in some time with the pigskin.
Elvis always brought a football with him wherever he went, including on Hollywood movie sets. Between takes and scene changes, he could often be found throwing around a football around Hollywood film lots. The star’s passion continued into the 1970s, where he still attended football games frequently. On August 9th, 1975, Elvis gave his final public interview at a football game. You can listen to it above.
