Dwayne Johnson's College Rookie Card Sells for $45K: 'This Humbling Irony Is Not Lost on Me'

Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images Dwayne Johnson

Dwayne Johnson's college football rookie card just sold for a whopping price.

Before Johnson became a professional wrestler and famed actor, he played college football at the University of Miami with aspirations of one day joining the NFL and reaching the Super Bowl. And while those dreams did not come to fruition, the day of Super Bowl LV still brought some exciting news for the star.

On Sunday, Johnson, 48, shared a photo of his rookie card and revealed on Instagram that after 50 bids, the coveted item sold for $45,100.

"This story of how my UNIV of MIAMI football card's value continues to rise has become so surreal to me 🤯," the Ballers star began in the caption of his post. "Playing in the @NFL was my dream and playing in the Super Bowl was my even bigger dream. Of course, neither dream came true for me ☺️🤦🏽‍♂️ but years later... On SUPER BOWL Sunday my rookie card gets sold for 45K!! Congrats to the winning bidder! 👏🏾🥃."

Johnson continued, "I never made it as a player to the big dance, so this humbling irony is not lost on me one bit 🙏🏾 #unpredictablelife #94."

RELATED: Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson Reminisces on College Football Days in Instagram Throwback

Johnson played defensive tackle at Miami for four years during the 1990s. With Johnson as a star member, the team won the national championship in 1991. But despite his impressive play, Johnson's football career ended the same year he graduated after a short stint in the Canadian Football League.

Back in 2015, Johnson revealed in a Oprah's Master Class special that he suffered from depression after moving into his parent's small apartment when he failed to reach the NFL.

"I found that with depression one of the most important things you could realize is that you're not alone. You're not the first to go through it," the Jumanji: The Next Level actor said. "I wish I had someone at that time who could just pull me aside and [say], 'Hey, it's going to be okay.'"

Samir Hussein/WireImage Dwayne Johnson

Johnson remembered receiving a call from the head coach of the team that let him go about a month and a half later. He was asked to return to the Calgary Stampeders but it was then that he made a career-defining moment.

"I hung up the phone, and my dad said, 'You're going to do it, right?' " Johnson recalled. "I said, 'No I don't think so. I think I'm done with that. My gut tells me I'm done.'"

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He then decided to follow in his father Rocky's footsteps and go into the family business of professional wrestling.

"He said, 'You are throwing it all away. It is the worst mistake you will ever make,' " Johnson said of his father's initial hesitation. "I said, 'Maybe I'll be no good, but I feel like, in my heart, I have to do this.'" After retiring in 1991, Rocky began training his son, who eventually found massive stardom in professional wrestling as 'The Rock.' "

The rest is history: Johnson had a successful career in wrestling and has become one of Hollywood's highest-paid actors.