Chris Farasopoulos
| Profile | |
|---|---|
| Position | Defensive back |
| Personal information | |
| Born | July 20, 1949 Piraeus, Greece |
| Career information | |
| College | Brigham Young University |
| NFL draft | 1971: 3 / Pick 58th round |
| Career history | |
| 1971–1973 | New York Jets |
| 1974 | New Orleans Saints |
| Stats at Pro Football Reference | |
Chris Farasopoulos (born July 20, 1949 in Piraeus) is a Greek-American former American football player who played for the Brigham Young Cougars, New York Jets, and the New Orleans Saints in the 1970s.
Early life
Farasopoulos is the only son of Vasilios and Theodora Farasopoulos. He graduated from North Torrance High School and earned a BS in human performance from Brigham Young University.
Career
Farasopoulos was selected 79th overall in the fourth round by the Baltimore Orioles in the 1967 Major League Baseball draft.[1] He turned down the Orioles' $5,000 offer after they asked him to change his name "to something like Faras," which he felt "was like offering to take only half of me."[2][3] He chose instead to accept a full and guaranteed football scholarship from Brigham Young University (BYU) where he was hailed as "the Galloping Greek" by the Arizona Republic. Best known for his agility and speed at BYU, Farasopoulos played defensive back as well as punt and kickoff return. In 1968, he set a Western Athletic Conference record for average yards returned per kickoff at 27.2, a record that stood until Chad Owens's 29.4 average yards per return years later. After selecting John Riggins and John Mooring in the first and second rounds of the 1971 NFL draft, the New York Jets chose Farasopoulos in the third round with the 58th pick overall. During his rookie season, he began a lasting friendship with teammates Riggins and Burgess Owens. He later played for the New Orleans Saints.
Following his football career, Farasopoulos held management positions at VLSI Technology Inc. and National Semiconductor. He then spent 13 years at Integrated Device Technology (IDCT) in various operations management positions, both at the Technology Center and the Static RAM Division in Salinas, California. Most recently, Farasopoulos was responsible for customer operations and business development as vice president with QuickSil of Fremont, California.
Personal life
Farasopoulos is married and lives in California with his family, including his three daughters, two of whom are twins.
See also
References
- ^ "1967 MLB June Draft Pick Transactions, Rounds 1–10", Pro Sports Transactions. Retrieved October 29, 2024.
- ^ Goldaper, Sam. "Farasopoulos Making It With Jets," The New York Times, Friday, September 3, 1971. Retrieved October 29, 2024.
- ^ Anderson, Dave. "...As Jets Gather Speedy Men for Kick Returns," The New York Times, Saturday, January 30, 1971. Retrieved October 29, 2024.