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 Jeff Samardzija Career Highs:
Receptions - 10 (BYU, 2005)
Receiving Yards - 191 (at Stanford, 2005)
Receiving Touchdowns - 3 (Michigan State, 2005)
Longest Reception - 80 (at Stanford, 2005)
Jeffrey Alan Samardzija was born on January 23, 1985 in Merrillville, Indiana, Jeff Samardzija is a Serbian-American athlete. Jeff Samardzija was currently playing in 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 of these are affiliated with the Chicago Cubs. A senior, Jeff Samardzija is majoring in marketing.
Jeff Samardzija grew up in Valparaiso, Indiana where Jeff Samardzija attended Valparaiso High School, and was a letterman in football, basketball, and baseball. In football, Jeff Samardzija was a three-time first team All-State honoree, and was twice named the team's Most Valuable Player. After his senior year, Jeff Samardzija was invited to participate in the Indiana football All-Star game. In baseball, Jeff Samardzija 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 at Valparaiso.
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. Jeff Samardzija continued to play baseball at Notre Dame until Jeff Samardzija was selected by the Chicago Cubs in the 5th round (149th overall) of the MLB Draft, though Jeff Samardzija has now become better-known in football.
In football, Jeff Samardzija 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. Jeff Samardzija has emerged as a star in the 2005 season, ending the regular season with 77 catches, 15 of them for touchdowns, for 1215 yards.
Jeff Samardzija set single-season school records in both receiving yardage and touchdown receptions. Jeff 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.
Jeff Samardzija was the son of Sam Sr. and the late Debora Samardzija. Jeff Samardzija 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.
Jeff Samardzija 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.
Jeff Samardzija also holds the distinction of being ranked as one of Baseball America's top 100 prospects.
More on Jeff Samardzija Biography:
Jeff Samardzija career bio:
 Jeff Samardzija was a college football's leading returning receiver after winning consensus All-American honors in 2005 ... named a 2006 preseason first-team All-American by Street & Smiths, CBSSportsLine.com and Athlon ... Jeff Samardzija rated the nation's number-three wide receiver for `06 by The Sporting News ... preseason Maxwell Award watch list selection ... a two-sport star who was a pitching ace for the Irish baseball team ... Jeff Samardzija holder of Irish single-season records for catches (77, tied for the lead with Tom Gatewood's 1970 total), receiving yards (1,249) and TD catches (15) ... Jeff Samardzija was among the Notre Dame career leaders in receiving yards (ninth with 1,576), receiving TDs (tied for fifth with 15) and catches (ninth with 101) ... Jeff Samardzija has played in all 36 games since joining the Irish in 2003 ... fifth-round draft pick of the Chicago Cubs in June of 2006 ...Jeff Samardzija played with Boise and Peoria, Class A Cub farm teams, during the summer.
Jeff Samardzija bio in 2005:
Jeff Samardzija is a consensus first-team All-American ... was a first-team All-America selection by the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA), The Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, ESPN and the All-American Football Foundation ... Jeff Samardzija is a second-team All-America selection by the Associated Press, the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) and the Walter Camp Football Foundation ... Jeff Samardzija was one of three finalists for the 2005 Biletnikoff Award, given annually to college football's top receiver ... Jeff Samardzija was rated the nation's number 24 player in college football for the 2005 season by collegefootballnews.com ... shared the 2005 Notre Dame MVP award with quarterback Brady Quinn ... set a Notre Dame single-season record for yards receiving (1,249) and TD catches (15) ...Jeff Samardzija the first Notre Dame receiver since 1970 (Tom Gatewood) and the third Irish pass catcher ever to gain 1,000 yards receiving in a single season (one of four in Notre Dame history) ... Jeff Samardzija caught 77 passes for 1,249 yards (16.2-yard average) and 15 TDs ... ranks among all-time Irish leaders in season totals for catches (tied for first with 77), receiving yards (first with 1,249) and receiving TDs (first with 15) ... Jeff Samardzija also ranks among Notre Dame career leaders in receiving yards (ninth with 1,576), receiving TDs (tied for fifth with 15) and catches (ninth with 101) ... Jeff Samardzija surpassed 100 receiving yards in five games ... a first-team Midseason All-America selection by Sports Illustrated ... Jeff Samardzija started all 12 games ... also served on the hands team for onside kickoffs, was the holder on point-after and field-goal attempts and played as a deep safety on defense in two games (Washington and USC) ... Jeff Samardzija caught TD passes in eight consecutive games to start the season, the first Notre Dame player to do so to start a season, or in any eight-game stretch ...Jeff Samardzija caught at least one TD pass in 10 of 12 games ... caught three passes for 34 yards against Pittsburgh, including a 19-yard TD reception on a highlight-reel diving catch ... his TD versus the Panthers was the first of his career ...Jeff Samardzija grabbed four passes for 52 yards at Michigan, including a five-yard scoring catch ... snared a key 26-yard reception on a third quarter third-and-17 versus the Wolverines ... caught six passes for 96 yards and three TDs against Michigan State ... Jeff Samardzija TDs versus Michigan State went for 31, 18 and four yards, respectively ... tied a school record for single-game TD catches versus Michigan State (also held by six others) ... caught eight passes for 164 yards (20.5-yard average) and a TD against Washington ... had a 52-yard TD catch and another grab for 43 yards against the Huskies ... also batted away a pass as a deep safety on the final play of the first half against Washington ...Jeff Samardzija caught seven passes for 153 yards (21.9-yard average) and two TDs in the win at Purdue ... made a spectacular one-handed leaping grab for a 41-yard gain to set up a score against the Boilermakers ... had scoring receptions of four and 55 yards versus Purdue ... wiggled loose from five tacklers after the catch on the 55-yard TD reception against the Boilermakers ... caught six passes for 99 yards (16.5-yard average) and one TD against USC ... Jeff Samardzija had a 32-yard scoring catch versus the Trojans on a third-down play to tie the game at 14-14 in the second period ... had a single-game high 10 catches for 154 yards and two TDs in a 49-23 win over BYU ... combined with Maurice Stovall to comprise the first Notre Dame duo ever to have 10 or more catches in the same game as Stovall had 14 catches versus the Cougars ... Jeff Samardzija grabbed seven passes for 127 yards (18.1-yard average) and a TD against Tennessee, including a career-long 73-yard catch ... the 73-yard grab on a short pattern keyed the go-ahead TD march for the Irish to break a 21-21 tie as he scored the subsequent TD ... caught five passes for 42 yards in the win over Navy ... made seven catches for 80 yards and one TD in the win over Syracuse ... made a 29-yard scoring grab to give Notre Dame a 14-3 lead over the Orange late in the second period ... caught eight passes for 191 yards and two TDs in Notre Dame's 38-31 win over Stanford ... Jeff Samardzija started the scoring versus Stanford by taking a short pass 80 yards for a TD on the game's second play from scrimmage, the longest catch of his Irish career ... Jeff Samardzija also had a seven-yard scoring grab later in the opening period to give Notre Dame a 14-7 lead over the Cardinal ... Jeff Samardzija had six catches for 59 yards in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl against Ohio State ... Jeff Samardzija logged 342:01 of playing time with 82 special teams appearances.
Jeff Samardzija bio in 2004:
Jeff Samardzija played in all 12 games, making his first career start versus Oregon State in the Insight Bowl ... Jeff Samardzija made 17 catches for 274 yards on the season, then career highs ... made three tackles on special teams ... caught three passes for 59 yards versus Purdue, including a career-long 41-yarder ... Jeff Samardzija had four receptions for 65 yards versus Michigan State, including a 31-yard reception ... Jeff Samardzija caught three passes for 48 yards versus Washington, including one for 22 yards ... had one reception for eight yards against Stanford ... caught one pass versus Navy for five yards ... Jeff Samardzija enjoyed a career-best day in the Insight Bowl against Oregon State, nabbing five passes for 89 yards, including a 29-yard catch ... Jeff Samardzija made 70 special teams appearances and logged 175:37 of playing time.
Jeff Samardzija bio in 2003:
Jeff Samardzija p layed in all l2 games as a freshman, making appearances at receiver in 11 games ... made seven catches for 53 yards (7.6 avg.) ... Jeff Samardzija saw action versus Washington State and made his first career reception, a five-yard grab ...Jeff Samardzija caught a pass for 11 yards against Michigan ... made one reception for 19 yards versus Michigan State ...Jeff Samardzija had four receptions for 18 yards against Purdue ... Jeff Samardzija played 35:32 and made 75 special teams appearances on the season.
Jeff Samardzija bio in high school and personal info:
Jeff Samardzija graduated from Valparaiso (Ind.) High School ... Jeff Samardzija finished second in voting for Mr. Football in Indiana and was named the state's top receiver ... honorable mention on the Detroit Free Press Best of the Midwest team ... three-time all-state selection ...Jeff Samardzija was twice named team MVP ... caught 50 passes for 1,044 yards and nine TDs as a senior in 2002 ... also threw for two TDs and scored on a 65-yard run ... Jeff Samardzija helped his team go 12-2 in 2002 and earn a state semifinals berth ... named to the Associated Press Indiana Class 5A all-state first team ... made 40 tackles and three interceptions at free safety as a senior ... caught 55 passes for 1,197 yards and 10 TDs as a junior, helping his team reach the Indiana Class 5A state title game ... played in the Indiana football all-star game ... also played basketball and baseball ... Jeff Samardzija was a three-year letterman in baseball while lettering once in basketball ... had a .481 batting average with eight home runs and 50 RBI as a senior ... Jeff Samardzija hit .375 with five home runs and 37 RBI as a junior ... also played in the Indiana baseball all-star game ... was a first-team all-state honoree as a centerfielder ...Jeff Samardzija never missed a start in all three sports in three seasons (over 160 games) ... full name is Jeffrey Alan Samardzija ... one of two children ... nicknamed "Shark" ...Jeff Samardzija born Jan. 23, 1985, in Merrillville, Ind. ... enrolled in the Mendoza College of Business, majoring in marketing ... earned 3.051 grade-point average in `05 fall semester and 3.028 in `06 spring semester.
Jeff Samardzija personal bio:
- Off the field Jeff Samardzija enjoys fishing and the great outdoors in his home state of Indiana.
- His surname is Serbian. Jeff Samardzija 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.
- Jeff Samardzija is the roommate of current Notre Dame star safety Tom Zbikowski.
- Jeff Samardzija 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.
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