Sami Grisafe
Sami Grisafe is a recording artist and a women’s football player. She helped the United States capture the gold medal at the 2010 IFAF Women's World Championship championships in Stockholm, Sweden, along with the 2013 IFAF Women's Worlds in Vantaa, Finland.
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Women's football | ||
Competitor for  United States
| ||
| IFAF World Women's Championships | ||
.svg.png){kind=icon} | 2010 Sweden | Tournament |
| | 2013 Finland | Tournament |
Playing career
High school
Grisafe attended high school in Redlands, California. In 2001, she was the first female quarterback to compete in a football game sanctioned by the California Interscholastic Federation Division 1.
As a child, she also played boys’ baseball. In the nine years that Grisafe played, she would be the first girl in her community named to a boy’s baseball All-Star team.
Chicago Force
In 2007, Grisafe joined the Chicago Force (competing in the IWFL). At the time, she was studying dramatic arts at Roosevelt University.
During the 2011 Women's Football Alliance season, she had 1,746 passing yards and 24 touchdown passes.[1]
The 2012 campaign resulted in Chicago’s fourth undefeated season in franchise history.[2] On August 4, 2012, Grisafe and the Chicago Force competed in the WFA championship against the San Diego Surge. It was a historic game because it was the first played on an NFL field (held at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh).
Team USA
A member of Team USA at the 2010 IFAF Women's World Championship, she threw for 309 passing yards in three games.[3] She had an efficiency rating of 262.53 while throwing for six touchdown passes and completing 12 of 22 passes. Against Australia on June 27, 2010, Grisafe had three touchdown passes. In a July 1 contest against Finland, she logged 154 passing yards, including a pass of 59 yards.[4]
Musical career
As a singer and performer, Grisafe was recruited by the WFA to record a theme song for the league. It would be called Fourth and Inches.
She was the lead singer for a band known as The Wick, Grisafe was the band’s lead singer, and their first album was a self-published effort titled The Wick on Wax.
In 2012, an album called Atlantis was recorded with The Sami Grisafe Band[5] (which features Chris Buehrle, Jaclyn Rada, Andy Neel and Janet Cramer). The album was co-produced by Grammy winner Ricciano Lumpkins. Grisafe won a Chicago Music Award in 2013 as Best Rock Entertainer. In addition, she performed at the SXSW music festival in Austin, Texas.[6]
Personal life
Grisafe is openly gay[7] and recorded song as a show of support for The Trevor Project. The Trevor Project looks to prevent suicide among lesbian and gay individuals.
Awards and honors
- 2007 Offensive Player of the Year
- 2011 Offensive Co-Player of the Year[8]
- 2012 Team MVP
- Team Captain, 2008, 2009, 2010
- IWFL All-Star selection (2007, 2008, 2009, 2010)
- WFA All-America honors (2011, 2012, 2013)
External links
References
- ↑ ERIC-PAUL JOHNSON - The Press-Enterprise. "Redlands native is womens football quarterback, so much more | Local News". PE.com. Retrieved 2014-01-02.
- ↑ "Women’s Football Team A Force To Be Reckoned With « CBS Chicago". Chicago.cbslocal.com. 2012-07-02. Retrieved 2013-12-05.
- ↑ "Womens World Championship - USA". Iof1.idrottonline.se. Retrieved 2013-12-05.
- ↑ "Womens World Championship - Game Highs & Lows". Iof1.idrottonline.se. Retrieved 2013-12-05.
- ↑ "Women's Pro Football Star a Chicago Force as a Quarterback and Musician - Chicago - DNAinfo.com Chicago". Dnainfo.com. 2013-06-21. Retrieved 2013-12-05.
- ↑ "Team USA QB Grisafe ready to rock the competition | Youth Football | USA Football | Football's National Governing Body". USA Football. Retrieved 2013-12-05.
- ↑ "Independent Women's Football League embraces all sexual orientations". Outsports. Retrieved 2013-12-05.
- ↑ "Chicago Force Women's Tackle Football". Chicagoforcefootball.com. Retrieved 2013-12-05.