Born into an Armenian family, Kerkorian attended Inglewood High School in Los Angeles County, and then was a quarterback at Stanford University, where he was a three-year starter.

They selected George Shaw, a quarterback from the University of Oregon, and Kerkorian was soon relegated to backup duty.

[3][4]) The following year, the Colts acquired rookie Johnny Unitas, and Kerkorian slipped to third string.

Between the 1952 and 1953 NFL seasons, Kerkorian toured with the United States national rugby league team to Australia, where he played the 5/8 position and kicked many goals.

[1] After an injury to Unitas in 1958, the Colts called Kerkorian back from law school as a possible replacement, but he did not play.