Dwayne Douglas Johnson,
also known as The Rock
, was born on May 2,
1972 in Hayward, California. He is the son of Ata Johnson (born Feagaimaleata Fitisemanu Maivia) and professional wrestler Rocky Johnson
(born Wayde Douglas Bowles). His father, from Amherst, Nova Scotia, Canada, is black (of Black Nova Scotian descent), and his mother is of Samoan background (her own father was Peter Fanene Maivia, also a professional wrestler). While growing
up, Dwayne traveled around a lot with his parents and watched his father perform in the ring. During his high school years,
Dwayne began playing
football and he soon received
a full scholarship from the
University of Miami, where he had tremendous success as a football player. In 1995, Dwayne suffered a back injury which cost him a place in the NFL. He then signed a three-year deal with the Canadian League but left after a year to pursue a career in wrestling.
