This young man may not be aware of sportscaster tongues, but he has had a fantastic career in his short 27 years. As a young man growing up in Valparaíso, Indiana, he followed the path of his father and his older brother. Dad was Sam Samardzija, a semi-pro hockey player. His brother, Sam Jr., was an all-state baseball and football player and attended Indiana University. He is now a Major League Baseball sports agent. This was an active family and competitive sports were played.
Jeff attended Valparaíso High School and excelled in soccer, basketball, and baseball. In fact, he excelled in each of these sports. While he was in high school, Jeff’s mother died, which dealt a serious blow to this young man. With the support of family and friends, Jeff persevered and was very successful in his sports activities.
With the spirit of a champion, Jeff was a three-time First Team All-State honoree in football. He was twice named the team’s most valuable players. And, right after his senior year, he was invited to participate in the Indiana football All Star game. In baseball, he was the first team All-State honoree. A good ending to his graduation in 2003.
While in his senior year of high school, Jeff caught the attention of numerous college coaches and was offered athletic scholarships. He accepted the offer from the University of Notre Dame…good choice. He played for the Fighting Irish soccer team from 2003 to 2005. As a reserve player, his first two seasons he caught 24 passes. His first start was in 2005 at the Insight Bowl at the end of his sophomore year. Jeff emerged as a star in 2005 finishing the regular season with 77 catches, 15 of them for touchdowns. He rushed for 1,215 yards and was selected to numerous All-America teams after being awarded an athletic scholarship.
Still improving, Jeff set a single-season school record for receiving yardage and touchdown receptions. He caught a touchdown pass in each of Notre Dame’s first eight games in 2006. This gave him the school record for consecutive games with a touchdown reception. Jeff had 78 receptions for 1,017 yards and 12 touchdowns in 13 games in 1006. He became the Righting Irish’s all-time leader in receiving yards with 2,593. This put him on the Football Writers Association of America All America team. Phew!
And don’t forget, he also played for the school’s baseball team from 2004 to 2006. As a pitcher, he made his mark. He finished second in the Big East Conference in earned run average, 2.95. And he was named a Freshman All American by Collegiate Baseball magazine. Jeff continued to play baseball for Notre Dame until the Chicago Cubs selected him in the fifth round of the 2006 Major League Baseball Draft. He was the 149th overall pick. Although he first thought he would play in both the NFL and MLB, once drafted by Chicago, he dropped out of the NFL draft.
Thus began his career in baseball with Chicago. Of course, he started in the minors and worked his way up to the Cubs’ bullpen in July 2008. He had a great debut; striking out the first batter he faced. Manager Lou Piniella was impressed and ready to put Jeff on the fast track to the majors. With some ups and downs to come, Jeff still put up impressive numbers. With the juggling that goes on in a major league team, players can be at the mercy of numbers. But, Jeff continued to play excellent, consistent ball and threw as well as any opposing pitcher in the minors.
On opening day of 2011, Jeff made the Cubs’ roster as a reliever. During that season he posted his best numbers going 8-4 with a 2.97 ERA. This guy who was nicknamed ‘Jaws’ by the players at Notre Dame has five big pitches that he uses regularly. A four-seam fastball that tops out at 99 mph, a two-seam fastball that flies over 96 mph, a 93-mph cutter, an 85-mph slider, and a splitter that tops out at 85 mph.
Well, if the name Jeff Samardzija didn’t ring a bell before… now you can impress your friends with the knowledge of his great achievements.