Mark Harmon was the quarterback for UCLA for two seasons. He led the Bruins to a 17-5 record during his leadership. Harmon's accomplishments for UCLA got the young quarterback inducted into the National Football Foundation's list of National Scholar-Athletes. He decided to leave football behind, despite his college success, after getting bit by the acting bug. Harmon's sister Kristen married musician Rick Nelson, son of TV stars Ozzie and Harriet Nelson, who were two of the biggest stars in Hollywood at the time. His sister's famous father-in-law Ozzie opened the acting door for Harmon.
Harmon credits Ozzie with changing his life. In a 2019 Parade interview, the "NCIS" star said Ozzie gave him a stand-in part on his series "Ozzie's Girls." After being on the set with his famous in-law, Harmon was hooked, saying, "That changed my course." Leaving the sport was no small decision for Harmon; his dad Tom Harmon was famous in football. He won the 1940 Heisman Trophy and was the No. 1 pick in the 1941 NFL Draft! The elder Harmon walked away from football to become a fighter pilot in World War II, then became a sportscaster. But Harmon's mom Elyse was an actor in many films before he was born, per Biography.
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