From Rock Bottom

Merrick Kohr
Staff Writer
  May 2nd marks the 50th birthday of famous actor and athlete Dwayne Johnson. Dwayne Douglas Johnson, also known as The Rock, was born in Hayward, California on May 2nd, 1972. Johnson is the son of Ata Johnson and professional wrestler Rocky Johnson. Growing up, he traveled a plentiful amount and gained tons of wrestling experience watching his father perform in the ring. As a child, he lived in New Zealand but returned to the United States for high school as an athlete on the track & field and wrestling teams. During his high school years, Johnson began playing football and later received a scholarship from the University of Miami, where he had prodigious success as a football player. In 1995, Johnson suffered multiple back injuries which caused him to quit the sport and lose a spot in the NFL. After his college football injuries, Johnsons’ grade point average plummeted to 0.7; he was not only sitting on the bench, but also on academic probation. 
  In the end, Johnson got himself together and continued to pursue his football career after graduating from the University of Miami with a 2.9 GPA. The Canadian Football League called out to Johnson for a position on a practice squad; Johnson left for Canada, only to make $200 a week and live in a small, dingy apartment. Though he was making progress, Johnson decided to uproot and leave his sedimentary lifestyle.
  With his football career not going in the right direction, Johnson flew back to Florida where his parents lived at the time Johnson had another profession in mind: he wanted his father to teach him more about wrestling so he could start another career. Rocky Johnson knew the struggle of life as a wrestler from his experiences and warned his son of the rough path he would endure. Eventually, Rocky agreed, and Johnson and his father practiced for long hours under scheduled training.
  Johnson eventually overcame the affliction and was able to make a hit on WWE Wrestling. With growing popularity, Johnson got his wrestling nickname The Rock. Johnson did not take his name for granite. He started becoming more recognizable and was a guest on many television shows. His big screen career started with small parts on shows such as Star Trek: Voyager and That '70s Show, but he went on to act in blockbuster movies such as The Mummy Returns and Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle. His famous catchphrases and popularity in the ring boosted his success as an actor, and he has performed in over 60 movies. Through drive and power, Dwayne Johnson worked his way to the very top. One of Johnson's mantras that holds sedimental value to help him succeed is “With drive and a bit of talent, you can move mountains.” It is important to recognize the importance of The Rock and his effect on modern-day sports and entertainment.

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