Collins & Simon Public Relations Lee
Reherman received an MBA from the Anderson School at
UCLA.
By Will Whitehorn
Daily Bruin Contributor
Lee Reherman is not your typical post-grad.
“I’m on the set of “˜The X-Files’, and
I’m doing this scene where an alien has to throw-up into my
mouth. I’m watching this guy puke corn syrup down my throat,
and I’m thinking, “˜I have an MBA in finance, what the
hell am I doing?'”
This is Lee Reherman’s story.
A standout offensive lineman at Cornell, where he majored in
communications, Reherman arrived at UCLA in 1991 after a brief
career in the NFL with the Miami Dolphins.
He received his MBA at UCLA’s Anderson Business School in
1993, and remains interested in the different aspects of
business.
“I’m very much into finance, the stock market,
investment banking, the upper financing type stuff,” he
said.
But it is in entertainment where Reherman has made his biggest
post-graduate impact.
The world of show business has been good to Reherman, who is
currently exercising his communications skills as a sideline
commentator for NBC’s experimental football league, the
XFL.
Reherman is a firm believer in the promise of the upstart
league.
“The XFL has two great entities behind it in NBC and the
World Wrestling Federation,” he said. “When you combine
NBC, who will give this league time to succeed, with the WWF, who
knows how to create an experience for the viewer, then you create a
whole new viewing experience. With mics all over the place,
there’s more honesty, no pre-packed nonsense.”
He also defended the integrity of the new league.
“This league is not choreographed,” he said.
“The sport of football has not been compromised in any way,
shape, or form.”
Reherman brings a wealth of broadcasting experience with him
into his new venture. Before signing on with the XFL, he hosted the
syndicated “Fantasy Football Weekly Magazine,” the
roller-derby-based “RollerJam,” and recently worked the
sidelines for the 2001 Gator Bowl.
Reherman has appeared in the films “Hard Time” and
“Heaven & The Suicide King.” He also appeared in a
recurring role on the sitcom “Caroline in the City,”
had guest spots on “The Net” and “Soldier of
Fortune,” and is currently wrapping up his guest appearance
on “The X-Files.”
But Reherman is perhaps best known for a distinction he and
actor Russell Crowe share ““ both were Gladiators.
Before last summer’s Oscar-nominated blockbuster, there
was the popular television show “American Gladiators,”
where Reherman, a.k.a. “Hawk,” spent the better part of
three seasons (1993-96) sparring with contestants.
“I was still at Anderson, looking for a job for the
summer,” he recalled. “This agent spotted me in the
Wooden Center and put me in a small commercial, and then later came
back and asked me if I wanted to be a Gladiator. I said, “˜You
gotta be kidding me!’
“I didn’t want to do it at first,” he
continued. “But later I went out with a few friends, and they
convinced me to go for it.”
Reherman reflected on the physical demands of the
experience.
“We were taping while I was taking my MBA. I’d go
into class and test early, and then I’d go out and spend my
afternoons getting the tar beat out of me.”
“Hawk” remains a little nostalgic for his days on
“˜Gladiators.’
“I wish I had kept some of the action figures,”
Reherman said jokingly. “Now they’re hard to find. Not
because they’re collectors items, but because no one would
want them.”
In his spare time (what little he has), Reherman opts to relax
at his home in Manhattan Beach, spending time with friends, some of
whom he made at an Anderson School he remains proud of.
“Generally, the quality of person who goes to Anderson is
high, in terms of intelligence and just being great folk,” he
said. “They’re top-notch, top-flight people with a
wealth of knowledge and experience.”
Reherman’s career in entertainment has helped him to
appreciate different genres of film.
“There’s a part of me that loves goofy films, like
“˜Caddyshack’ or “˜Fletch,’ but there’s
another part of me that can really appreciate the serious films,
now that I know what goes into them.”
This respect carries over to most actors, with one notable
exception: Steven Seagal.
“There’s one guy I can’t stand,”
Reherman said. “He might be a great guy, I’ve never met
him. But his acting makes me want to vomit. It’s terrible.
I’d rather have a root canal than watch this guy
act.”
With that said, there may be no one better to represent the
uninhibited nature of the XFL than Lee Reherman.