PLAY BY PLAY(ACT); FOR ATHLETES, ON-FIELD SKILL NO GUARANTEE OF ON-SCREEN SUCCESS.

Byline: Robert Philpot Knight-Ridder Tribune News Wire

Former Raiders defensive lineman Howie Long originally saw his leap into movies as ``a lark.''

Now Long, who made his acting debut in 1996's ``Broken Arrow,'' is shooting for the big time as a lead in ``Firestorm.'' The film, which opened this week, makes Long just the latest jock to jump to the big screen.

On the surface, it's a natural transition: The most famous pro athletes are used to showboating in front of tens of thousands of people, and they bring with them huge followings as well as name recognition from sportscasts and commercials. You don't have to be a pro basketball fan to know about Michael Jordan's charisma, Charles Barkley's cockiness or Dennis Rodman's flamboyance - all qualities that we look for in movie stars.

Yet Long has his work cut out for him. Jocks have been trying to get into the movies for decades; as far back as 1924, Babe Ruth played himself in the silent ``Heading Home.'' And other athletes, such as Esther Williams and ice-skating queen Sonja Henie, made whole strings of financially successful films.

But on-field talent doesn't always translate into on-screen talent, or into box-office bucks. New York Jets quarterback Joe Namath was one of the most popular athletes of the late '60s and early '70s, but his acting career was a joke. Former Oklahoma University linebacker Brian Bosworth, with his weird haircut and bone-crunching gridiron performances, was one of the most flamboyant football players of the past 10 years, but his movie debut in 1991's ``Stone Cold'' was a notorious flop.

Long is taking a wise route, although he may be moving too fast: He started in a supporting role, hitching his name to cult director John Woo and A-list actors John Travolta and Christian Slater in ``Broken Arrow.''

But though he's working with talented actors - Scott Glenn, Suzy Amis and William Forsythe - in ``Firestorm,'' it's probably too early for him to be taking a lead role. He needs to develop more screen presence as a supporting actor.

Long would be wise to follow the lead of someone like Jim Brown, the Cleveland Browns running back who made his mark in ensemble action pictures such as ``The Dirty Dozen'' and ``Ice Station Zebra'' before moving up to a lead role in 1969's ``Riot,'' his fifth movie. For a jock-turned-actor, Brown has remarkable staying power; more than 30 years after his debut in 1964's ``Rio Conchos,'' he was still making movies, with a role in 1996's ``Mars Attacks!''

Others haven't been so lucky, shown by the mixed results on this list:

Johnny Weissmuller: He wasn't the screen's first Tarzan, but he was the most famous, and the former Olympic swimmer remains one of the best-known examples of an athlete-turned-star.

Alex Karras: Karras made such an impression playing himself in 1968's ``Paper Lion,'' the former Detroit Lion parlayed his supporting turn into an acting career. He's probably best-known for TV's ``Webster'' (1983-87), but his most memorable moment came when he punched a horse in Mel Brooks' ``Blazing Saddles.''

Fred Williamson: As a Kansas City Chief, he played in the first Super Bowl, then went on to have the biggest jock-to-film resume of all, starting with 1970's ``MASH,'' all the way up to 1996's ``Original Gangstas,'' more then 40 films later. He directed and produced quite a few of 'em, too.

O.J. Simpson: One of the biggest acting embarrassments, Simpson still made some decent movies - namely, 1978's ``Capricorn One'' and 1988's ``The Naked Gun'' - in spite of himself. How appropriate, though, that the subtitle of his last ``Naked Gun'' movie is ``The Final Insult.''

Dick Butkus: The Chicago Bears bruiser made a handful of big-screen movies, starting with 1976's ``Mother, Jugs and Speed.''

Muhammad Ali: Leave it to the Greatest to play himself, in a 1977 movie called, appropriately enough, ``The Greatest.''

John Matuszak: The Oakland Raider played a big, dumb caveman in 1981's ``Caveman'' and a big, dumb but softhearted monster in 1985's ``The Goonies.'' He was also in a couple of decent football movies, 1977's ``Semi-Tough'' and '79's ``North Dallas Forty.''

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: The former L.A. Lakers center made his acting debut in 1979's ``Game of Death,'' but he's probably best-known for playing the co-pilot in ``Airplane!''

Pele: The soccer star made a few movies, most notably 1981's ``Victory'' with Sylvester Stallone.

Ed Marinaro: The former L.A. Ram had significant roles in TV's ``Hill Street Blues'' and ``Sisters,'' but he also has been in a few movies, including 1991's ``Queens Logic.'' He may have the most embarrassing credit on this list: the 1992 TV-movie ``Lethal Lolita - Amy Fisher: My Story.''

Bubba Smith: Three words: ``Police Academy 6.'' The former Baltimore Colt was in all the previous ``Police Academy'' films, too, as well as a handful of other movies and TV shows.

Fred Dryer: Better-known for playing the title cop in TV's ``Hunter'' (1984-1991), the former L.A. Rams defensive lineman made a couple of features: 1984's ``The Fantastic World of D.C. Collins'' and 1987's ``Death Before Dishonor.''

Mitch Gaylord: The Olympic gymnast's biggest hit was the unwatchable 1986 bomb ``American Anthem.''

Shaquille O'Neal: The big basketball guy has been in three movies: 1994's ``Blue Chips,'' 1996's ``Kazaam'' and 1997's ``Steel.''

Michael Jordan: Arguably the most popular athlete in pro sports, Jordan translated his fame into a big-screen hit with 1996's ``Space Jam.'' He has tons of company in the movie, including basketball buds Larry Bird and Charles Barkley.

Dennis Rodman: If anyone seems like a candidate for crossover, it's the Chicago Bulls' cross-dressing dye-job, but so far he has only made one movie, co-starring with Jean-Claude Van Damme in last year's ``Double Team.''

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3 Photos

Photo: (1) Former Raiders defensive lineman Howie Long is shooting for the big time as a lead in ``Firestorm.'' The film makes Long the latest jock to jump to the big screen.

(2) Flamboyant Dennis Rodman, a likely candidate for athlete-to-actor crossover, has made but one film.

(3) Filmwise, former Lakers center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, left, probably is best-known for playing the co-pilot in ``Airplane!''