Michael Sam Michael Alan Sam , Jr . ( born January 7 , 1990 ) is an American football defensive end . He attended the University of Missouri , where he played college football for the Missouri Tigers football team for four years . Sam attended Hitchcock High School in Hitchcock , Texas , where he played for the school ' s football team . Recruited by a number of colleges , he accepted a scholarship with Missouri . He was a consensus All - America n and the Southeastern Conference Defensive Player of the Year as a senior . After completing his college football career , Sam publicly came out as gay . If he were to be signed by a National Football League ( NFL ) team , which analysts think is likely , he would become the first active NFL player to have declared his homosexuality publicly . High school . Sam attended Hitchcock High School in Hitchcock , Texas . He began traveling with the school ' s varsity American football team while in the eighth grade as a water boy . He joined the team as a two - way player , playing both defensive end and offensive tackle . He earned first - team All - District honors as a defensive lineman in all four years of high school , and as an offensive lineman in his junior and senior years . In his senior year , Sam drew attention for his strong performance against Michael Brockers in a game against Chávez High School ; Brockers , an All - America n , had accepted a scholarship to Louisiana State University . Out of high school , Sam was considered a two - star college football recruit by " Rivals . com " . Sam received scholarship offers from Arizona State University , Colorado State University , and the University of Houston , but he wanted to attend Texas A & M University , and waited to get a scholarship offer from them . College career . Sam accepted a scholarship offer from the University of Missouri ( Mizzou ) , after he was recruited by Craig Kuligowski , the team ' s defensive line coach . Kuligowski recruited other players near Hitchcock , which made him familiar with Sam . Sam attended the school from 2009 to 2013 . He played college football for the Missouri Tigers , competing in the Big 12 Conference . He redshirted in his first year at Missouri , and recorded quarterback sack s , 24 tackle s , including seven tackles for loss , two forced fumbles , one interception and one blocked kick as a redshirt freshman . In his sophomore year , Sam intercepted a tipped pass in a game against the Texas Tech Red Raiders , which secured a victory to make Mizzou bowl eligible . In 2012 , Mizzou transferred to the Southeastern Conference ( SEC ) . Sam registered sacks while starting in nine of the team ' s games . As a senior in 2013 , Sam recorded quarterback sacks and 19 tackles for a loss . He led the SEC in both categories , and tied Missouri ' s single - season record for sacks . He was named the SEC Defensive Player of the Week in two consecutive weeks , after recording three sacks apiece in games against the Arkansas State Red Wolves and the Vanderbilt Commodores . After the season , Sam was named the SEC Co - Defensive Player of the Year , with C . J . Mosley of the University of Alabama , and a first - team all - SEC selection . He was also named a first - team All - American by the Walter Camp Football Foundation , Associated Press , " Sporting News " , the American Football Coaches Association , and the Football Writers Association of America . He was also named a semifinalist for the Chuck Bednarik Award , the Hendricks Award , and the Lombardi Award . Missouri played in the 2014 Cotton Bowl Classic , in which Sam forced a fumble that was returned for a touchdown , securing Missouri ' s victory over the Oklahoma State Cowboys . During his college career , Sam accumulated 123 tackles , including 36 for loss , 21 sacks , six forced fumbles and two intercepted passes . He graduated from Missouri in December 2013 . He participated in the 2014 Senior Bowl in January 2014 . Considered too small to play as a defensive end in the National Football League ( NFL ) , he played as an outside linebacker . Sam struggled at the new position . Personal life . Sam is the seventh of eight children born to JoAnn and Michael Sam , Sr . His parents separated when he was young . As a child , Sam watched one of his older brothers die from a gunshot wound . Another older brother has been missing since 1998 , and his other two brothers are both imprisoned . A sister who was born before him died in infancy . At one point in his childhood , Sam lived in his mother ' s car . He was once accidentally maced by police who were arresting one of his brothers . Sam argued with his mother over playing football , as she did not agree with those pursuits . Sam often stayed with friends while in high school ; the parents of a classmate gave him a bedroom in their house and had him complete household chores . Sam is the first member of his family to attend college . In August 2013 , Sam took the opportunity of a team introduce - yourself session to inform his Missouri teammates that he was gay , and found them supportive . He avoided talking to the media to avoid addressing rumors of his sexuality . He came out to his father a week before coming out publicly . " The New York Times " wrote that his father , a self - described " old - school . . . man - and - a - woman type of guy " , said " I don ’ t want my grandkids raised in that kind of environment . " His father told the " Galveston Daily News " that he was " terribly misquoted " , though " The Times " maintained that he was quoted " accurately and fairly . " On February 9 , 2014 , he announced that he was gay in an interview with Chris Connelly on ESPN ' s " Outside the Lines " , becoming one of the first publicly out college football players . If he is drafted in the 2014 NFL Draft or signed by an NFL team as an undrafted free agent , he could become the first active player who was publicly out in NFL history . Though he was projected as a third - or fourth - round pick in the NFL Draft , anonymous NFL executives told " Sports Illustrated " that they expect Sam to fall in the draft as a result of his announcement . Those statements caused National Football League Players Association executive director DeMaurice Smith to respond that any team official who anonymously downgrades Sam is " gutless " . From jail , his brother Josh said " I ' m proud of him for not becoming like me . I still love him , whatever his lifestyle is . He ' s still my brother and I love him . " On February 15 , Sam returned to Missouri with the Tigers football team to accept the 2014 Cotton Bowl championship trophy at a ceremony held at the halftime of a Missouri Tigers basketball game at Mizzou Arena . It was the first visit to his alma mater since he came out as gay . Anti - gay activist Shirley Phelps - Roper and about 15 other members of the Westboro Baptist Church , an organization widely considered a hate group , protested his appearance . Students organized a counter - protest numbering in the hundreds if not thousands , assembling a " human wall " in front of the protesters .