This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Sam Gordon will not play youth football this season, choosing to concentrate on her soccer career.
The 10-year-old girl from South Jordan became a cultural phenomenon after her YouTube highlights were posted in November, resulting in opportunities that included television interviews, invitations to the Super Bowl and practice sessions with the U.S. women's national soccer team and the San Francisco 49ers.
"I think the door is still open for her playing [football] in the future," her father, Brent Gordon, wrote in an email to The Tribune.
Sam Gordon plays soccer for a team based in her area. She also competed in track and field this summer. In her first year of organized football, she rushed for 1,900 yards and 35 touchdowns for Herriman's team in the Gremlins division of the Ute Conference. The novelty of a girl excelling in a traditional boys sport captivated the country, with millions of people viewing her video and celebrities wanting to meet her.
She attended the Super Bowl as a guest of NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and delivered scripted lines with Alec Baldwin in an NFL awards show, among other TV appearances. She also was pictured on a commemorative Wheaties box.