Sam Acho is an author, a public speaker, a humanitarian, and a committed Christian. He is also currently a linebacker in the NFL.He played college football at the University of Texas, where received the William V. Campbell Trophy for being college football’s top scholar-athlete. He won the NCAA Top VIII award that recognizes the top eight student-athletes in all of sports. And he was named the 2010 Male Big 12 Sportsperson of the Year. In 2011, Sam was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals and played four seasons as a linebacker with the team, before signing with the Chicago Bears for the 2015–2016 season. In 2016 and 2017, Sam was the Bears’ nominee for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award, the league’s only award that recognizes both civic and professional contributions. He served on the leadership committee for both the Cardinals and the Bears. He is also the vice president of the NFL Players Association, an organization in which he has served since his second year in the NFL. Having grown up in Dallas with parents who emphasized scholastic achievement, Sam was named by Sporting News as one of the twenty smartest athletes in all of sports. He received his MBA in 2015 at the Thunderbird School of Global Management, the #1 ranked International MBA program in the world.Every year he joins his family on medical mission trips to Nigeria. He recently built a hospital there through Living Hope Christian Ministries, an organization in which he serves as vice president. Sam is the founder and president of Athletes for Justice, an organization that works to unite professional athletes and everyday athletes to fight injustices around the world. He has been featured in Super Bowl commercials highlighting his social justice efforts in the city of Chicago. Sam has spent time with organizations, such as International Justice Mission, the American Diabetes Association, and the Clinton Global Initiative. He has lobbied Congress to change laws as it relates to justice related issues both inside and outside the United States. He hosts The Home Team podcast and is a frequent guest on ESPN.As a public speaker, he enjoys opportunities to encourage and inspire others to fulfill their calling by following Christ and serving others. He speaks at churches, concerts, colleges, and companies all around the world, spreading his message of hope in Christ.Read more about this authorRead less about this author