Before he was wrestling megastar The Rock, Dwayne Johnson was a defensive lineman for the Miami Hurricanes.

In a new profile, Sports Illustrated is taking a look at how playing football for Miami led Johnson to a successful career in wrestling and ultimately Hollywood superstardom. When it comes to finding the drive to overcome life’s challenges, Johnson thinks back to his days of playing for Orgeron.

“People saw the cockiness, but no one knows how hard we worked,” said Johnson, who played for the Hurricanes from 1988 to ’92. “There was an accountability there, and Coach Orgeron was a big part of that. In games it seemed as if those offensive linemen were holding us on every play. Coach didn’t care. I complained one time, and he got in my face and said, ‘They can hold you, they can kick you in the balls, they can f—— spit in your face—are you going to cry about it or are you going to overcome that and make the play?’ That’s bigger than football, man. That’s a whole worldview.”

Orgeron, who coached defensive line at Miami from 1988 to ’93, fondly remembers “Dewey.”

“He had tremendous get-off, he was strong, he could use his hands, he was tough as nails, and he worked his ass off,” Orgeron said. “Dewey was a helluva football player. I thought he had a chance to be an All-America.”

The full feature on Johnson can be read here.