Carl Weathers, action star of 'Rocky' movies, had ties to Florida

Carl Weathers, the NFL player-turned-Hollywood action star who died at 76, had ties to Florida.

Weathers was most known for his roles in the "Rocky" movie franchise as Apollo Creed. He starred in "Predator" and "The Mandalorian" and had an odd, iconic role as a golf teacher in Adam Sandler's hit comedy "Happy Gilmore."

While Weathers was born in New Orleans and grew up and attended college in California, he did have ties to Florida.

He played Apollo Creed in Sylvester Stallone's 'Rocky' series

His first big break came as boxer Apollo Creed opposite Sylvester Stallone in the original "Rocky," an acclaimed role he went on to reprise in three subsequent sequels before the character's death in 1985's "Rocky IV." In the ongoing "Creed" franchise, Michael B. Jordan plays the son of Weathers' character.

Stallone has had a Miami home for years and moved to Palm Beach in recent years.

In an emotional home video released on his Instagram account Friday, the day Weathers' passing was announced, Stallone paid tribute to the pro football player-turned-actor who starred as heavyweight Apollo Creed in four "Rocky" movies.

"Today is an incredibly sad day for me," Stallone said in the video where he held back tears but frequently pounded the counter in front of him. "I’m so torn up I can’t even tell you. I’m just trying to hold it in because Carl Weathers was such an integral part of my life, my success, everything about it. I give him incredible credit and kudos, because when he walked into that room, and I saw him for the first time, I saw greatness, but I didn’t realize how great."

He played a one-arm golf coach in the Adam Sandler comedy hit 'Happy Gilmore'

Weathers played Derick "'Chubbs" Peterson in Adam Sandler's 1996 comedy hit "'Happy Gilmore."

Sandler has ties to South Florida. He bought a condo in Boca's Highland Beach area in 1999. Reports say it could have been for his mother. Either way, the actor is sometimes seen around town. He even dropped in for a wedding photo while playing basketball in Boca.

While Weathers showcased a sense of humor in other films, he really broke out as a real comedic actor opposite Sandler in his classic sports farce. Sandlers' hockey goon title character hits the links to pay off his grandma's debts, and he enlists the help of Chubbs, a golf star-turned-coach who now rocks a wooden hand thanks to a hungry alligator. Weathers gets to riff on his own football background, shares great chemistry and banter with Sandler and even has one heck of a fun death scene (plus sings a little Carpenters from the afterlife).

More: These famous people have called Boca Raton and Delray Beach home through the years

Sandler remembered the actor as a "true legend" in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

"A true great man," Sandler said. "Great dad. Great actor. Great athlete. So much fun to be around always. Smart as hell. Loyal as hell. Funny as hell. Loved his sons more than anything. What a guy!! Everyone loved him. My wife and I had the best times with him every time we saw him."

Carl Weathers played for the then-Oakland Raiders

Carl Weathers played one year in the NFL, for John Madden's 1970 Oakland Raiders, where he was listed as a 6-foot, 2-inch, 200-pound linebacker. He played in seven games in 1970 and one game in 1971.

During the 1970 season, the Raiders and Dolphins met twice.

Oakland traveled to the Orange Bowl, where they lost to Don Shula's Miami Dolphins 20-13.

The teams would meet up in the divisional round in December, with Oakland winning 21-14.

Still, the season was big for the Dolphins, in only its fifth NFL season. It was the team's first winning season, first playoff appearance, and first of 26 seasons under Shula.

Carl Weathers played at San Diego State

Before becoming an actor, Weathers played college football at San Diego State University.

What's the Florida tie?

During Florida Atlantic University's memorable run to the NCAA's Final Four in men's basketball last year, they eventually lost to, yes, you guessed it, the San Diego State Aztecs.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Carl Weathers, star of 'Rocky' movies and 'The Mandalorian,' dies