Week of 2/4: All-Star Football TV Stars

By Sylvia Gurinsky

With the Super Bowl this Sunday, it's a good time to look at the all-stars of the gridiron who also became all-stars of the small screen:

*Merlin Olson: The Los Angeles Rams' tackle went into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. But he was a gentle giant who co-starred in "Little House On the Prairie" and his own series, "Father Murphy," for NBC, as well as being a commentator on the network's football telecasts for many years.

*Rosey Grier: Also a star with the Los Angeles Rams, Grier, recently seen on the "Pioneers of Television" segment on Western series, made repeated appearances as Gabe Cooper late in the run of NBC's "Daniel Boone." He was also on Danny Thomas' "Make Room For Granddaddy" on ABC, and guest-starred on many other series during the 1960s, 70s and 80s.

*Alex Karras: The tackle for the Detroit Lions went on to a solid television career, including six seasons with wife Susan Clark and young Emmanuel Lewis on the ABC comedy "Webster."

*Ed Marinaro: Ed Marinaro played six seasons in the National Football League, including four for the Minnesota Vikings. He's had quite a bit of staying power in NBC series, including "Sisters" and five seasons as Officer Joe Coffey on "Hill Street Blues."

*Fred Dryer: Another former Los Angeles Ram, Dryer took naturally to television. His career has included seven seasons on another NBC hit show, "Hunter," as Detective Sergeant Rick Hunter. Interestingly, his biography on the Internet Movie Database states that he was a finalist for the role of Sam Malone on "Cheers" before Ted Danson won the part.

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The best way to watch the big game? Here's a classic clip from ABC's "Home Improvement" to show you:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-V04Q-Ymhk

Enjoy the Super Bowl! See you next week! And until then, Happy Viewing!