Super Bowl Sunday is upon us, a special, heartwarming time to gather with friends, eat too much queso and make ridiculous side bets on how long the national anthem will last and who will be forced to punt first.

It’s also a good time to reflect on the many, many football players who’ve branched out into movies. We’d be here all day if the list included college standouts like John Wayne and Dwayne “The Rock’’ Johnson, so we’re sticking to the NFL. We’d also be here all day if we considered all forms of entertainment, so we’re sticking to feature films, save for those costarring O.J. Simpson, for obvious reasons.

Herewith, AP movie critic Christy Lemire’s picks:

Jim Brown: Spike Lee devoted an entire documentary, 2002’s Jim Brown: All-American, to Brown’s accomplishments on and off the field. One of the greatest running backs in football history, Brown played nine seasons with the Cleveland Browns, from 1957-65. When he retired, no player had run for as many yards (12,312) or scored more touchdowns (126) or rushing touchdowns (106), which put him in the Hall of Fame. His confident persona drew the attention of a Hollywood agent, who thought he’d be perfect for action films. Brown was a revolutionary presence on the screen — a virile, almost threatening black man, in contrast to the sophisticated characters Sidney Poitier played. And in movies like the 1969 Western 100 Rifles, he did something previously unheard of: an interracial love scene (with Raquel Welch).

Carl Weathers: Come on, he’s Apollo Creed! And he was in Predator. Weathers started out as a star linebacker at San Diego State University before going on to an extremely brief pro career with the Oakland Raiders in the early ’70s. After a couple years in the Canadian Football League with the BC Lions, Weathers retired to pursue acting full-time in 1974. His most important role has been as Rocky Balboa’s nemesis and eventual friend in the first four Rocky movies; the character died in Rocky IV. His first crack at playing the lead, 1988’s Action Jackson, didn’t go so well. But he’s rebounded nicely, including playing a version of himself as Tobias Funke’s acting coach on a few episodes of Arrested Development.

Terry Crews: Someone probably better-known now as an actor than as a football player. He’s done everything from dopey comedies ( Soul Plane, White Chicks) to bombastic action movies ( Terminator Salvation, The Expendables). He even had a bit part in the Oscar-nominated Bridesmaids as the boot-camp instructor whose classes Kristen Wiig and Maya Rudolph take in secret behind a tree. Whatever movie he’s in, he’s a welcome sight with his mix of intimidation and self-aware humor. He’s also carved out meaty TV roles for himself on Everybody Hates Chris and Are We There Yet? Oh, yes, and he played football. He was a defensive end and linebacker for the (then-Los Angeles) Rams, San Diego Chargers and Washington Redskins over three seasons.

Alex Karras: You may know him best for his television work as Emmanuel Lewis’ adoptive dad, Mr. Papadapolis, on the feel-good ’80s sitcom Webster. But before that, Karras put together more of an eclectic filmography than most football players who become movie stars. Karras was an All-Pro defensive tackle who played 12 seasons for the Detroit Lions between 1958 and 1970. Even before his football career was over, he played himself in 1968’s Paper Lion. Famously, he punched a horse as the fearsome but dimwitted Mongo in Mel Brooks’ Blazing Saddles (1974). Karras played the sheriff in the classic teen-sex comedy Porky’s and a closeted gay bodyguard in Victor/Victoria — and those movies happened to come out on the same weekend in 1982, a real demonstration of his range.

Terry Bradshaw: The former quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers has cropped up in three Burt Reynolds movies, Hooper (1978), Smokey and the Bandit II (1980) and Cannonball Run (1981). Bradshaw also showed comedic chops as a motivational speaker on The Jeff Foxworthy Show. But the frequent pitchman’s turn as a befuddled father in Failure to Launch — unable to get his adult son ( Matthew McConaughey) out of the house — was classic. Nude scene and all.