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"Jerry Maguire" was one of the biggest hit movies of the 1990s, starring Tom Cruise in the lead role. It won actor Cuba Gooding Jr. his first Academy Award for his role as wide receiver Rod Tidwell. But what led director Cameron Crowe to write the screenplay for this blockbuster film? The answer lies in Crowe's meeting with award-winning director and screenwriter James L. Brooks.
During their meeting, Brooks handed Crowe a photo of former NFL linebacker Brian "The Boz" Bosworth. Crowe wrote a huge screenplay of 140 pages following the meeting with Brooks.
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Bosworth was the number one overall pick by the Seattle Seahawks in the 1987 NFL Supplementary Draft. The two-time Consensus All-American linebacker out of Oklahoma started in 24 games for the Seahawks over the course of three seasons. In those three seasons, Bosworth accumulated 175 tackles and four sacks.
As for the film, it became one of the highest-grossing films of the 1990s, raking in nearly $275 million at the box office. "Jerry Maguire" turned out to be a bit more successful than the inspiration for the film in Bosworth.
Why did Brian Bosworth quit football?
Bosworth was forced to retire two games into the 1989 NFL season. He suffered a career-ending shoulder injury the previous season. As for his life after football, Bosworth has been married twice and has three children.
The Butkus Award-winner can be seen as "The Sheriff" in the Dr. Pepper Fansville commercials.
Who did Cameron Crowe and James Brooks Initially Want to Play Jerry Maguire?
It took five years for Crowe's screenplay to come together and then it was time to cast the film. Crowe and Brooks did have a Tom in mind to portray Jerry Maguire, but it was not Tom Cruise. They wanted two-time Academy Award winner Tom Hanks for the role.
However, he turned it down to film another movie. Plan B was Cruise, who flew to read the script with Crowe. In the role of Tidwell, Gooding Jr. beat out the likes of actors Jaime Foxx and Daman Wayans.
