College & Professional Athletes Who Were Raised Mormon

List of Mormons in sport, and notable or famous Mormon athletes. These Mormon sports stars come from a variety of different sports and disciplines, including football, car racing, martial arts, rugby, track and field, swimming and hockey. Though Mormonism is a religion most closely associated with the United States, a number of Mormons play for international teams, including a number of professional rugby players in Australia and New Zealand. Many Mormon athletes have been recognized for their physical prowess and athletic achievements, including Merlin Olsen, a Hall of Fame defensive tackle for the NFL's Los Angeles Rams, first Mr. Olympia Larry Scott and heavyweight boxing champion Jack Dempsey. Perhaps most significantly, famed 49ers quarterback Steve Young is a Mormon and a direct descendant of LDS movement leader and former president Brigham Young.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (sometimes known simply as the LDS Church or the Mormon Church) is the largest denomination in the "Latter Day Saint Movement" inspired by the message of Joseph Smith. The church currently claims 14.1 million adherents around the world, with 50,000 missionaries currently serving worldwide. The church models its teachings and organizations on Joseph Smith's original Church of Christ, founded in 1830.

The Mormon culture that raised and inspired these athletes is also distinctive in many ways, both because of the geographical center of Mormonism in the Intermountain West and the family-oriented worldview of the church itself. For example, Mormonism's health and legal code, known as the "Word of Wisdom," prohibits the use of tobacco, alcohol, caffeine and other addictive substances.