Those of us who have played the beautiful game of rugby know how wonderful it is, but it's still a relatively unknown sport to most Americans. It isn't as well-known or revered as some of our iconic sports like basketball, football, or baseball, but there have still been a handful of players to play the game that have gone on to become pretty famous figures.

Here are ten of the most famous we could find:

1. George W. Bush

Bush, who served the United States as president from 2000-2008, played a little rugby before then.While at Yale University, George played fullback on the rugby team, and supposedly was an influential part in his team's win over rivals Harvard in 1968.

2. Mark Cuban

Most of us know Mark Cuban as the Dallas Mavericks owner, or as the cool judge on Shark Tank, but before that he was rugby player at the University of Indiana.

3. Che Guevara

The Argentine revolutionary was quite an avid rugby player in his day, playing at inside center in Cordoba. He even started his own rugby magazine, Tackle, which printed 11 issues in 1957. 

4. Andre the Giant

The life of Andre the Giant is well-documented, as the massive Frenchman has become somewhat of an icon since he became a professional wrestler in the late 1960's. As a youngster, Andre played rugby in France in his hometown of Grenoble.

5. Idi Amin

The Ugandan dictator took up a lot of lessons from the British, whom he admired, but possibly the most important thing they taught him was how to play in the second row. Check out this (totally not delusional) quote from the man himself:

"As you know I am a rugby player. I am second row, so I know how to push. I am very big. You don't want to push against me. And I also play wing three-quarter and I am very fast. I can run one hundred meters in nine point five seconds (applause). If you tackle me, you will try, and you will hurt only yourself. So to everyone who is a boxer, I say this, do what you have to do to knock out your opponent."^[

6. Daniel Craig

Is there better training for becoming the next James Bond than playing rugby? We can't know for sure, but we do know this: Daniel Craig was a damn good Bond and Daniel Craig also played rugby. Craig played rugby for Hoylake RFC in England.

7. Russell Crowe

Maximus sure would have been a great rugby player, don't you think? We're speculating he'd be a fly-half, but could also slot in at center if needed. Well, it makes sense because the man that plays him, Russel Crowe, is an avid Rugby League player and fan. In fact, he even bought and owns half of the South Sydney Rabbitohs in Australia, where he grew up. 

8. Gareth Bale

Gareth Bale, the world class soccer player, grew up in the rugby crazy country of Wales, where he was on the same teams as famous Welsh captain Sam Warburton. He, some may say wisely, chose to pursue soccer with the mind that he'd have better success there.

9. Bill Clinton

The famous American president spent a year abroad in England on the Rhodes Scholarship to attend Oxford University. Clinton was allegedly a prop in his days across the pond. 

10. Prince William

Having been born in Wales, Prince William has rugby in his blood. Often seen at Wales or England games with his brother Harry, William is one of the biggest supporters of rugby around.