Former Cowboy has successful career as astronaut after football

Leland Melvin wanted to wear a star on his helmet and wound up flying among the stars instead. When your playing days came to an end, the doors of opportunity opened. Use the resources available to former players to find your passion and start your second career.

Feb. 9, 2015 MSN

While Melvin was a receiver with the Dallas Cowboys in the spring of 1987, he was also taking courses at the University of Virginia that would help him in his second career: astronaut.

“They videotaped the courses and mailed them to me in Dallas,” Melvin said during a recent interview with NPR. “So by day, I’m catching balls for America’s team and at night, I’m watching materials science and engineering courses in a master’s program.”

Melvin didn’t make the Cowboys’ final roster because a hamstring injury, the same injury that led to his release from the Detroit Lions in training camp the previous season. Melvin was the Lions’ 11th-round draft pick out Richmond in 1986.

Fortunately, being an astronaut doesn’t put as much strain on a hamstring. After leaving football, he began working at NASA and was selected as an astronaut in 1998.