Sam Willis Scarber was born 24 June, 1949, in St. Louis. He played professional football, originally being drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in 1971 out of the University of New Mexico. He played running back for two seasons for the San Diego Chargers, in 1975 and 1976, as a backup. He rushed for a career 304 yards, and scored two touchdowns. He has also acted in movies, having roles in Wes Craven's "Shocker", in "Over the Top", as a referee in "The Karate Kid", a coach in "Against All Odds", a detective in "The Morning After" and "Fear", and as a guard in "Eraser".