Colton Underwood's Throwback Baby Photo Shows How Far The Bachelor Has Come Since His Football Days

ABC/Rick Rowell

Growing up, a big part of Colton Underwood's identity was being a football player. Now, he is known for so many other things: his time in the Bachelor franchise, his Legacy foundation, and, of course, his virginity. Nevertheless, before all of that, there was football. Colton Underwood shared a throwback baby photo of himself wearing a football jersey next to a helmet with his Instagram followers on Jan. 22.

Along with the adorable photo, Colton wrote, "Same face, new body." That's for sure. As the Bachelor fans are well aware, grownup Colton's football background has served him well and this includes some strong muscles. Even though Colton does not play anymore, the game is a big part of who he is. Colton played football his whole life. In college, he played for Illinois State.

Unfortunately, Colton did not actually play in NFL games, but he was a part of the league for a bit according to CBS Sports. In 2014, the San Diego Chargers signed Colton as a free agent. Then, he moved to Philadelphia to play with the Eagles a few months later before returning back to the San Diego Chargers. After Round 2 with the Chargers, he became a practice squad member for the Oakland Raiders.

Colton discussed his decision to retire from the NFL in a 2017 interview with Journal Star. He shared, "I put in my retirement papers two weeks ago." He elaborated, "I had a serious shoulder issue and told myself I should get the surgery done."

Ultimately, Colton concluded, "I couldn’t keep playing on it.”

Even though Colton did not hit the field as an NFL player, he did dedicate a lot of his life to football. He has even attributed his time spent on the football as a contributing factor when it comes to why he has not lost his virginity.

During a one-on-date with Becca Kufrin on The Bachelorette last season, Colton opened up about his virginity. He told her, "I haven't had that many girlfriends or that many dates because of sports. Because of that, I still am... I am a virgin." Of course, this is not news to anyone. Colton's virginity has been the major plot point during his season of The Bachelor. Even so, it's interesting how it all comes full circle.

Colton spent his whole life committed to football. This means that he had to sacrifice a lot of his time for games, workouts, and practices. As a result, he could not focus as much on his personal life. Then, he put his personal life in the forefront when he auditioned for The Bachelorette. Now, his personal life is what he is mainly known for. And, yes, this does include his virginity.

From a very young age, Colton was rocking a football jersey. Like many young kids, he had a goal to be an NFL star. That did not exactly happen, but putting on that jersey lead to so much more for Colton. He now has his own charitable foundation, helping children with Cystic Fibrosis. He has been on three different shows in the Bachelor franchise. And hopefully, all of that has lead him to find his future wife at the end of his Bachelor journey. Every choice really does add up, even when you're just a baby wearing an oversized football jersey.