Burt Reynolds his spleen and injured his other knee in a bad car accident. These injuries hampered his abilities on the field, and after being beaten in coverage for the game-winning touchdown in a 7-0 loss to North Carolina State on October 12, 1957, he decided to give up football. Ending his college football career, Reynolds thought of becoming a police officer; however, his father suggested he finish college and become a parole officer. To keep up with his studies, he began taking classes at Palm Beach Junior College (PBJC) in neighboring Lake Park. In his first term at PBJC, he was
Burt Reynolds returned to guest starring on television shows. As he put it, "I played heavies in every series in town" appearing in episodes of "Playhouse 90", "Johnny Ringo", "Alfred Hitchcock Presents", "Lock Up", "The Blue Angels", "Michael Shayne", "Zane Grey Theater", "The Aquanauts" and "The Brothers Brannagan". "They were depressing years," he later said. Reynolds made his film debut in the low budget "Angel Baby" (1961), billed fourth. He followed it with a role in a war film, "Armored Command" (1961). "It was the one picture that Howard Keel didn't sing on," reminisced Reynolds later. "That was a terrible mistake." In