Sam Salz (American football)

Last updated

Sam Salz
Texas A&M AggiesNo. 39
Position Wide receiver
ClassSenior
Major Economics
Personal information
Born:c. 2003
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania U.S.
Height5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)
Weight155 lb (70 kg)
Career history
High school Kohelet Yeshiva High School

Sam Salz is an American football wide receiver for the Texas A&M Aggies. He is thought to be the only orthodox Jewish football player in NCAA Division I. Salz did not play organized football at any level prior to being added to the Texas A&M program as a walk-on. As he was not invited to join the football team, he practiced by himself within sight of the team and eventually earned a roster spot.

Contents

Early life

Salz was born c. 2003 and is from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He graduated from a Modern Orthodox college prep school: Kohelet Yeshiva High School. He is 5.6 ft (1.7 m) and weighs 160 lb (73 kg). [1] He did not play football in high school because his school did not have a football program. He also never played organized football in middle school: he never played organized football at any level. [2] As a young observant orthodox Jew, Salz never watched college football because it is played on the Shabbat. [1] In 2022 he went to Texas A&M University to study economics. [3]

College football

In 2022, Sam Salz was a sophomore at Texas A&M University and he wanted to be on the football team, but he had no football experience. [4] The football team has a rule that only players with high school football experience could try out. [3] Salz did not meet the requirement so he was not part of the football team; instead he began training within sight of the A&M practice field. When the Texas A&M Aggies football team was practicing, Salz practiced by himself. He kept notes of the drills the football team did and tried to mimic their routines. He used items he could find to fashion makeshift cones and create a line of scrimmage for practice. He kept up his practice routine in sight of the team for 11 months, and the coaches began to notice him. [4] Salz described his daily practice routine: "About an hour and half to an hour doing field work.. catching.. doing footwork... working on taking hand-offs, and then I would spend about two and a half to three hours in the gym getting bigger. [5] He began attending the head coach’s Jimbo Fisher's radio show to show his determination and persistence. [3]

Salz is a walk-on football player and he practices with the Texas A&M Aggies football team. [2] He practices at the offensive position of wide receiver. [4] In 2023 The Atlanta Jewish Times stated that Salz was thought to be the only orthodox Jewish football player in NCAA Division I. [2] [6] He wears a Chabad "A&M” kippah under his football helmet and he wears the jersey number 39. His jersey number is meant to symbolize (lamed tet melachot ) the 39 tasks or items which Jews should avoid during the Jewish Sabbath. [2] He also wears his tzitzit under his jersey. [6] The Sabbath begins at sundown on Friday and lasts until sundown on Saturday so if Salz were to compete with the team in games, he could only play in Saturday night games. [5]

In 2023, Salz was a junior and had not appeared in any football games for the Aggies. Salz has said he hopes to be drafted into the NFL and become a motivational speaker. Mark Robinson (Texas A&M’s associate athletic director) said that Salz practices alongside several Muslim football players that observe the fasting of Ramadan. The football team schedules practices to accommodate the Muslim players. [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orthodox Judaism</span> Traditionalist branches of Judaism

Orthodox Judaism is the collective term for the traditionalist branches of contemporary Judaism. Theologically, it is chiefly defined by regarding the Torah, both Written and Oral, as revealed by God to Moses on Mount Sinai and faithfully transmitted ever since.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shabbat</span> Judaisms day of rest

Shabbat or the Sabbath, also called Shabbos by Ashkenazim, is Judaism's day of rest on the seventh day of the week—i.e., Saturday. On this day, religious Jews remember the biblical stories describing the creation of the heaven and earth in six days and the redemption from slavery and the Exodus from Egypt, and look forward to a future Messianic Age. Since the Jewish religious calendar counts days from sunset to sunset, Shabbat begins in the evening of what on the civil calendar is Friday.

Sam Adams is an American former professional football player who was a defensive tackle for 14 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Texas A&M Aggies, earning consensus All-American honors, and was selected eighth overall by the Seattle Seahawks in the 1994 NFL draft. Following six seasons as a member of the Seahawks, he earned consecutive Pro Bowl selections and All-Pro honors during his two seasons with the Baltimore Ravens. Adams was also part of the team that won a Super Bowl title in Super Bowl XXXV and made another championship appearance in his one season for the Oakland Raiders in 2002. As a member of the Buffalo Bills from 2003 to 2004, Adams was named to a third Pro Bowl. He spent his last two seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals and the Denver Broncos.

<i>Kippah</i> Skullcap traditionally worn by Jewish men to cover the head

A kippah, yarmulke, yamaka, bullcap, or koppel is a brimless cap, usually made of cloth, traditionally worn by Jewish males to fulfill the customary requirement that the head be covered. It is the most common type of head-covering worn by men in Orthodox Jewish communities during prayers and by most Orthodox Jewish men at most other times. Among non-Orthodox Jewish individuals, some wear them at most times, while most wear them only during prayer, while attending a synagogue, or at other ceremonies, and others wear them rarely or never.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frum</span> Yiddish word for a devout Jew

Frum is a word that describes Jewish religious devotion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Texas A&M Aggies</span> Intercollegiate sports teams of Texas A&M University

The Texas A&M Aggies are the students, graduates, and sports teams of Texas A&M University. The nickname "Aggie" was once common at land-grant or "ag" (agriculture) schools in many states. The teams are also simply referred to as "A&M" or "Texas Aggies," and the official school colors are maroon and white. The mascot is a rough collie named Reveille.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert M. Beren Academy</span>

Robert M. Beren Academy is a private Modern Orthodox Jewish primary and secondary school at 11333 Cliffwood Drive in Houston, Texas, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Texas A&M Aggies football</span> Program representing Texas A&M University in American football

The Texas A&M Aggies football program represents Texas A&M University in the sport of American football. The Aggies compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Western Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). Texas A&M football claims three national titles and 18 conference titles. The team plays all home games at Kyle Field, a 102,733-person capacity outdoor stadium on the university campus.

Orthodox Jewish outreach, often referred to as Kiruv or Qiruv, is the collective work or movement of Orthodox Judaism that reaches out to non-observant Jews to encourage belief in God and life according to Jewish law. The process of a Jew becoming more observant of Orthodox Judaism is called teshuva making the "returnee" a baal teshuva. Orthodox Jewish outreach has worked to enhance the rise of the baal teshuva movement.

In Judaism, a person who is shomer Shabbat or shomer Shabbos is a person who observes the mitzvot (commandments) associated with Judaism's Shabbat, or Sabbath, which begins at dusk on Friday and ends after sunset on Saturday.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zomet Institute</span> Israeli high-tech non-profit organization

The Zomet Institute is an Israeli high-tech non-profit organization specializing in IT equipment and electronic appliances designed to meet Halakha.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Driving on Shabbat</span> Operation of a motor vehicle during Shabbat

According to halacha, the operation of a motor vehicle constitutes multiple violations of the prohibited activities on Shabbat. Though Jewish law is based on texts that were written long before the existence of the automobile, when driving one performs various actions which the texts specifically prohibit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Texas A&M Aggies baseball</span> Baseball team

The Texas A&M Aggie baseball team represents Texas A&M University in NCAA Division I college baseball. The Aggies have competed in the Southeastern Conference since 2013. The Aggies play home games at Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park. The team was the 2024 runner-up in the Men's College World Series Final, losing in a closely contested three-game series to Tennessee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kyle Allen (American football)</span> American football player (born 1996)

Kyle James Allen is an American football quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Texas A&M Aggies and the Houston Cougars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eshel (organization)</span> Nonprofit LGBTQ+ Jewish organization

Eshel is a nonprofit organization in the United States and Canada that creates community and acceptance for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBTQ+) Jews and their families in Orthodox Jewish communities. Eshel provides education and advocacy, a speaker's bureau, community gatherings, and a social network for individuals and institutions. It was founded in 2010 to provide hope and a future for LGBTQ+ Jews excluded from Orthodox and Torah observant communities.

Marc Jeffrey Kligman is an American sports agent and criminal lawyer. After working in the San Diego County public defender's office from 1995 to 1998, he founded Total Sports Care Management and began representing players in Minor League and Major League Baseball and NCAA Division I coaches. He is noted for being a practicing Orthodox Jew.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South African Union for Progressive Judaism</span> Affiliate of the World Union for Progressive Judaism

The South African Union for Progressive Judaism (SAUPJ) is an affiliate of the World Union for Progressive Judaism and supports 11 progressive congregations. Rabbi Moses Cyrus Weiler, a founder of Reform Judaism in the country, led the country's first Reform synagogue, Temple Israel in Hillbrow, Johannesburg. Weiler is credited with growing the movement, to represent 15-17% of South African Jewry and establishing 25 congregations in the country. A 2020 joint study by the Institute for Jewish Policy Research and the University of Cape Town showed that 12% of Jews identified as Progressive and that in relative terms the progressive strands are increasing after falling to 7% in 1998 and 2005 studies. In Johannesburg, the community accounts for 7% of the city's Jewry, rising to 18% in Cape Town and 25% in Durban.

Jacob Steinmetz is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Arizona Diamondbacks organization. He was selected in the third round of the 2021 Major League Baseball (MLB) draft by the Diamondbacks. He was the first practicing Orthodox Jewish player to be selected in the MLB draft. He played for Team Israel in the 2023 World Baseball Classic in Miami, Florida.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ryan Turell</span> American basketball player

Ryan K. Turell is an American professional basketball player for Ironi Nes Ziona B.C. of the Israeli Basketball Premier League.

David Kufeld is an American-Israeli former professional basketball player. He became the first Orthodox Jew selected in the NBA draft when the Portland Trail Blazers drafted him in the 10th round of the 1980 draft.

References

  1. 1 2 Wasserman, Ari (May 2, 2024). "Why a 5-foot-6, 160-pound SEC walk-on who can't attend most games wouldn't stop until he made the team". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 22, 2024. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Heller, Sasha (September 27, 2023). "Salz Balances Judaism, Football for Texas A&M". Atlanta Jewish Times. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  3. 1 2 3 Lobell, Kylie Ora (August 23, 2023). "For Sam Salz, Football is a Religious Experience". South Florida Sun Sentinel. pp. A26. Archived from the original on June 21, 2024. Retrieved June 21, 2024.
  4. 1 2 3 Prince, Cathryn J. "How Texas A&M Aggies's Sam Salz became college football's first known Orthodox player". Times of Israel. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  5. 1 2 Griffith, Nicole (December 25, 2022). "Meet Sam Salz, the Sabbath Observant Kippah wearing walk-on for Texas A&M". KBTX. A Gray Media Group, Inc. Archived from the original on June 20, 2024. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  6. 1 2 3 Lerner, Danielle (September 22, 2023). "How an Orthodox Jew earned a place on Texas A&M's football team". Houston Chronicle. Archived from the original on June 20, 2024. Retrieved June 20, 2024.