Jeff Samardzija
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Jeffrey Alan Samardzija (pronounced sa-MAR-ja; born January 23, 1985 in Merrillville, Indiana) is a Serbian-American athlete. He currently plays both American football as a wide receiver at the University of Notre Dame, and baseball as a pitcher with the Boise Hawks and the Peoria Chiefs, both affiliates of the Chicago Cubs. A senior, Samardzija is majoring in marketing.
| Class: | Senior |
| Hometown: | Valparaiso, IN |
| Position: | Wide Receiver |
| Height: | 6 ft 5 in |
| Weight: | 218 lb. |
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[edit] Early Years
Samardzija grew up in Valparaiso, Indiana where he attended Valparaiso High School, and was a letterman in football, basketball, and baseball. In football, he was a three-time first team All-State honoree, and was twice named the team's Most Valuable Player. After his senior year, he was invited to participate in the Indiana football All-Star game. In baseball, he won first team All-State honors. Samardzija graduated from Valparaiso High School in 2003 with a 3.4 GPA. Athletics were something of the norm early in Jeff's life. Father Sam Samardzija was a semi-pro hockey player, and older brother Sam Jr. was also an All State football and baseball player who went on to play for Indiana University.
[edit] College Years
Jeff, nicknamed "Shark," made his first impact at Notre Dame in baseball as a right-handed pitcher, finishing second in the Big East Conference in both ERA (2.95) and opponents' batting average (.209), and being named a Freshman All-American by Collegiate Baseball magazine. He continued to play baseball at Notre Dame until he was selected by the Chicago Cubs in the 5th round (149th overall) of the MLB Draft, though he has now become better-known in football.
In football, he was a reserve for his first two seasons, catching a total of 24 passes, and not starting until the 2005 Insight Bowl at the end of his sophomore season. He has emerged as a star in the 2005 season, ending the regular season with 77 catches, 15 of them for touchdowns, for 1215 yards.
He set single-season school records in both receiving yardage and touchdown receptions. Samardzija also caught a TD pass in each of Notre Dame's first eight games in 2005, giving him the school record for consecutive games with a TD reception.
The son of Sam Sr. and the late Debora Samardzija, Jeff was selected as one of the three finalists for the Fred Biletnikoff Award, given annually to the nation's top wide receiver. Samardzija will be eligible for the NFL Draft in the spring of 2007.
He is one of the top ranked receivers for the class of 2007 and is projected to be drafted in the first round of the NFL Draft.
He also holds the distinction of being ranked as one of Baseball America's top 100 prospects.
[edit] Personal
- Off the field Samardzija enjoys fishing and the great outdoors in his home state of Indiana.
- His surname is Serbian. He is very proud of his Serbian heritage even though his grandparents emigrated from Europe in the 1940s.
- Musical tastes include Modest Mouse, The Flaming Lips, Secret Machines, & Led Zeppelin.
- He is the roommate of current Notre Dame star safety Tom Zbikowski.
- He has been described in the past as a huge Chicago White Sox fan, but after being selected by the Chicago Cubs in the 2006 MLB entry draft, his father Sam, a Cubs fan, stated repeatedly that those days were over.
