Herriman High School freshman Sam Gordon received the inaugural “Game Changer” award during the annual NFL Honors program Saturday night in Minneapolis.
The recognition came five years after she initially became famous as a 9-year-old girl competing in Ute Conference football, breaking off long runs against boys on opposing defenses. Gordon and her father, Brent, later were instrumental in launching the Utah Girls Tackle Football League. The organization’s number of participants doubled in the second year and led to similar leagues being formed in Indiana, Georgia and Canada, according to an NFL news release.
The Game Changer award was created to celebrate people who are committed to moving the game forward and have positively contributed to the sport and his or her community.
The Gordons recently have tried force the creation of sanctioned girls high school football in Utah.
With videos of her football exploits having been widely viewed, Gordon was invited to the Super Bowl in New Orleans five years ago as a guest of NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. She had a speaking part in the NFL Honors show, televised by the NFL Network.
This year, she was an award recipient, joining several NFL players who earned annual recognition.
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