I did not think I could contribute to this thread, but here we go:
Hyland,-Dick-(1960)---2.jpg
Dick Hyland - Enrolled at Stanford, he went to Paris and won a gold medal in Rugby at the Olympics. He stayed to manage the rugby team there until his father ordered him back to go to school. A halfback known as "Tricky Dick". In his first ever play from scrimmage he ran 48 yards for a touchdown against UCal in an upset 41-6 in 1926. Played in the 1927 and 1928 Rose Bowl. He led a quite interesting life. Went into the movie business after college. Technical director on "Drop Kick" one of John Wayne's first movies. Met his first wife there, an actress. One of four short marriages for him including one other actress. Chased out of Hawai'i after being suspected of spying on Filipino workers for the Hawai'in Sugar Planters Association. Later had a long career as a sports writer though he had problems with alcohol.
Cleaveland,-Norman.jpg
Norman Cleaveland - Played on the Stanford football team for 3 years. He won a gold medal in rugby at the 1924 Olympics. His mother played basketball at Columbia and participated in the first ever women's intercollegiate sporting event, being a game against Berkeley. Her brother, his uncle is College Football HOFer Bill Morley of Columbia.
1924-rugby.jpg
Photo of the U.S. rugby team prior to the gold medal match at the Paris Olympics. Besides the above mentioned Hyland and Cleaveland this photo also includes:
Linn Farish - Stanford football
Jack Patrick - fullback at Stanford, team captain 1921 and class president 1921
Dudley DeGroot - College Football Hall of Famer, coach Washington Redskins
A number of the others in the photo did not play football, but played basketball at Stanford, Santa Clara and Berkeley.
A lot of early college football stars also competed in the Olympics:
Marquis "Bill" Horr - First All American at Syracuse - 1908. Two medals 1908 Olympics.
Truxtun Hare - 4 time All American guard at Penn. Medals in the 1900 and 1904 Olympics. He also wrote 8 children's books.
Johnny Garrels - member of the 1904 and 1905 point-a-minute Michigan football teams. He also played in 1906. He scored the very first touchdown at Ferry Field. Two medals at the 1908 Olympics.
Harold 'Brick' Muller - College Football Hall of Fame. Won a silver medal in the high jump at the 1920 Olympics in Antwerp. He was also a colonel in the Army during WWII.
Alexander "Babe" Weyand - College Football Hall of Fame. Competed in wrestling at the 1920 Olympics.
Not just players, but also coaches:
Oscar Osthoff - football coach Washington State 1910-1911. Won gold and silver medals in weightlifting at the 1904 Olympics in St. Louis.
I have photos of Hare, Garrels and Hyland as football players and Osthoff as coach. I have a few other photos of early Olympians as football players.