Roosevelt "Rosey" Grier (born July 14, 1932) is an American former football player, bodyguard, actor, singer, Protestant minister, and motivational speaker.

He was a college All-American football player for Penn State, and earned a place in the NCAA 100th anniversary list of 100 most influential student athletes.

[1] A professional player for 12 seasons, Grier was a member of the New York Giants and the original Fearsome Foursome of the Los Angeles Rams.

After Grier's professional sports career, he worked as a bodyguard for Senator Robert Kennedy during the 1968 presidential campaign.

[10] After playing college football at Penn State University, Grier was the 31st overall pick of the 1955 NFL draft, taken in the third round by the New York Giants.

[11] After eight seasons with New York, Grier was traded in July 1963 to the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for defensive tackle John LoVetere and a high future draft pick.

[12][13] He was part of the "Fearsome Foursome", along with Deacon Jones, Merlin Olsen, and Lamar Lundy,[14] considered one of the best defensive lines in football history.

[16] Grier served as a bodyguard for his friend, United States senator and presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy.

Grier and Olympic decathlon gold medalist Rafer Johnson heard shots fired ahead of them.

Grier states, "So I see George Plimpton has the gun pointed at his face, and I'm concerned that it is going to go off, so I put my hand under the trigger housing and I pulled back the hammer so it couldn't strike.

"[17][13] In December 1968, Grier accompanied Bob Hope on "Operation Holly," Hope's 1968 USO tour, Grier performed alongside headliner Ann-Margret and others at the U.S. bases at Long Bình, Cam Ranh Bay, Da Nang, Chu Lai, and Phù Cát, as well as aboard the carrier USS Hancock and the battleship USS New Jersey, and at Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base and U-Tapao Royal Thai Navy Airfield in Thailand, along with stops in South Korea and Guam.

He became a regular cast member, starting in 1969, on the series Daniel Boone,[19] Make Room for Granddaddy, and The White Shadow.

Grier starred in television shows and films including The Wild, Wild West (1967), Desperate Mission (1969), Carter's Army (1970), Skyjacked (1972), The Thing with Two Heads (1972), McMillan & Wife (1974), Sesame Street (1975), The Treasure of Jamaica Reef (1975), The Love Boat (1979), The Glove (1979), Roots: The Next Generations (1979) and The Seekers (1979).

[20] His recording of a tribute to Robert Kennedy, "People Make the World" (written by Bobby Womack), was his only chart single, peaking at No.

[23] Grier was a featured speaker at the 1984 Republican National Convention; during its evening session on August 20, 1984, he endorsed President Ronald Reagan for re-election.

[31][32] Grier is a cofounder of American Neighborhood Enterprises,[2] an organization that works to help disadvantaged city dwellers buy homes and receive vocational training.

Grier was ordained a Protestant minister in 1983, and the next year he founded his nonprofit resource center for inner-city teens, developing spiritual and educational programs for disadvantaged youths.