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 (1985) from an Elmore Leonard novel but it was a critical and commercial failure. So too were three other action films he made: "Heat" (1986), based on a William Goldman novel, "Malone" (1987), and "Rent-a-Cop" (1987) with Liza Minnelli. He later said he did "Heat" and "Malone" "because there were so many rumors about me [about AIDS]. I had to get out and be seen." Reynolds tried a screwball comedy, "Switching Channels" (1989), but it was a box office disappointment. Even more poorly received was "Physical Evidence" (1989), directed by Michael Crichton. Reynolds received excellent reviews for "Breaking In" (1989)