See Mark Harmon’s hunkiest swimsuit photos from throughout the years

Believe it or not, but Mark wasn’t always an aspiring actor, instead, he was really focused on being a football star.

He earned his associates degree from Pierce College in LA and during his time there, he played for the college’s football team. He was inducted into the school’s inaugural Athletic Hall of Fame.

Mark then transferred to the University of California in LA and he was a quarterback for the UCLA Bruins during the early ’70s.

He ended up being honored with the NFL’s award for All-Round Excellence during his senior year, however, he wasn’t picked during NFL’s draft in 1974, and then switched lanes towards acting

Thanks to his rigorous playing and training for collegiate football, Mark acquired his strong build, which he later showed off on TV screens.

Mark served as People‘s “Sexiest Man Alive” in 1986.

Mark may be in his 70s now, but he shows no signs of slowing down. Instead, he’s continued to put in the work health-wise.

He shared with Men’s Journal: “When you’re 18 to 22, you’re never out of shape. Training is what you do, it’s what you wake up in the morning doing and go to bed at night thinking about, and that’s your job, so to speak. I don’t know that that has changed for me.”

The actor added: “The job I have, whether it’s this job or some other job, I’m usually aware of that. It’s every bit as much about the physical as it is about anything mental. I try to take care of myself and try to eat well and try to get [my] rest. I don’t do the same stuff I was doing when I was 24 years old.”

As for how the star is maintaining his fit shape these days, the secret lies in Pilates, which is a challenge that the star enjoys tackling.

Mark revealed: “Pilates. It completely kicks my [expletive]. [I had a] shoulder injury [that drew me to Pilates]. The physical therapist I went to was all about that. They kick your [expletive] on these machines.”

He recalled: “I was a big runner after college — I used to do 60 to 70-mile weeks every week. I wish I had some of that back now. [Pilates] is all about controlling the machine, and that’s twice as hard.”