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Which famous athletes graduated in 2022? In recent years, student athlete graduation rates have gone up across Division I & Division II schools in the NCAA. D1 college athletes have reached 90% graduation rates overall. However, some athletes will always have the chance to go pro early. Whether it's the opportunity to earn life-changing riches or the challenge to test oneself at the next level, even many of the smartest athletes will never graduate. So it's always cool to see when an athlete decides to take the time out of their busy schedules - some times in season - to go back to school.
In 2022, a handful of famous athletes graduated in May. These 2022 celebrity graduates are sports stars who compete at the highest level. NBA superstar Steph Curry graduated from Davidson University while in the middle of the NBA playoffs. For NFL QB Jameis Winston graduation day from Florida State came during the offseason.
Phoenix Suns point guard Chris Paul graduated from Winston-Salem State University on Friday December 16, 2022 at the Winston-Salem Fairgrounds Annex. Paul earned a bachelor's degree in mass communications.
Paul originally attended Wake Forest, where he starred as a basketball player from 2003 to 2005 before entering the NBA draft as a sophomore. He returned to school across town at Winston-Salem State in 2020.
Birthplace: Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States of America
Gage starred at Mizzou on the football team from 2002-2002 before being drafted in the fifth round of the NFL draft. He holds a number of Mizzou football records such as Most Receptions in a Season and Most Receptions for a Career. Gage also played basketball at Mizzou and was on the Tigers basketball team that reached the Elite Eight in the 2002 NCAA Tournament.
Gage returned to school in Spring of 2022 to finish up his degree.
“Dream Come True!!” Steph Curry announced in an instagram post, in reference to the completion of his degree from Davidson College. 13 years after leaving school for the NBA, the eight-time NBA All-Star, three-time NBA Champion, and two-time MVP finally… graduated.
In 2009, Curry declared for the NBA Draft after his junior year. He needed to complete just one more semester to graduate. With help of professors from Davidson, Stanford and UC Santa Cruz, the NBA superstar was able to finish his school work and earn his Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in Sociology.
Curry was not able to attend the commencement ceremony as he and the Golden State Warriors are in the middle of the NBA playoffs, but he tweeted a video of the graduation ceremony livestream where his name was announced.
Seven years after winning the Heisman Trophy and a National Championship, Jameis Winston returned to Tallahassee to receive his diploma from Florida State University.
The 28-year-old New Orleans Saints quarterback has been taking online classes since leaving the school in 2015 and completed his degree this year, with a major in social sciences and a minor in business.
NFL Hall of Famer Jerome Bettis, who in his thirteen-year career crossed many goal lines, finally crossed the stage at his newfound alma mater Notre Dame. “It's never too late,” Bettis said.
Bettis grew up selling crack cocaine on the streets of Detroit, but when the running back grew into a standout football player for the local Mackenzie High School, his play did not go unnoticed by then Notre Dame skipper Lou Holtz. Bettis enrolled at the university to play college football for the Fighting Irish. In three seasons, Bettis set single season touchdown records and even won the 1992 Sugar Bowl, before declaring for the NFL draft.
He would go on to have a remarkable NFL career, winning Offensive Rookie of the Year, Comeback Player of the Year, two First Team All Pro selections, six Pro Bowls, and Super Bowl XL. He would even get inducted into the Pittsburgh Steelers Hall of Honor.
Bettis returned to Notre Dame in 1996 when he was having a dispute with the St. Louis Rams and was considering retirement. He took courses in "history, philosophy, marketing and business" totaling a heavy 18 credit class load. But he returned to the NFL shortly thereafter.
Finally in 2021, Bettis again began taking courses at Notre Dame. On May 15, 2022, the 50-year-old officially graduated with a business degree 28 years after originally leaving Notre Dame.
