Chris Farasopoulos
Encyclopedia
Chris Farasopoulos is an American Football
player, Brigham Young alumnus
and Business Executive.
After being titled "The Galloping Greek" by the Daily Breeze
newspaper while playing for North Torrance High School, Farasopoulos turned down a professional baseball contract with the Baltimore Orioles
, choosing instead to accept a full and guaranteed football scholarship from Brigham Young University
.
In kind with the social and ethnic tensions of the late 1960s
there was some controversy regarding Farasopoulos' decision to refuse the contract offer when it became known that he had also been asked to abbreviate his typically long Greek
last name. He is remembered for having said, "It is what it is."
Best known for his agility
and speed at BYU, Chris 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
' 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 Chris in the third round with the 58th pick overall. During his rookie season he began a lasting friendship
with teammates Riggins and Burgess Owens
. All three were known for the spirit
they contributed to the New York Jets team. Later in his career Chris played for the New Orleans Saints
.
Chris holds a BS in Human Performance from Brigham Young University and spent 13 years at Integrated Device Technology
Inc. in various operations management positions both at IDT’s Technology Center and IDT’s Static RAM Division in Salinas CA. Before joining IDT, Chris held management positions at VLSI Technology Inc. and National Semiconductor
. Most recently Chris Farasopoulos was responsible for Customer Operations and Business Development as Vice President with QuickSil of Fremont, California
.
Chris is the only son of Vasilios Farasopoulos and Theodora Farasopoulos. Chris is married, has three daughters (two of whom are twins
) and lives with his family in California
.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player, Brigham Young alumnus
Brigham Young College
Brigham Young College was a college and high school in Logan, Utah. It was founded by Brigham Young on 6 August 1877, 23 days before he died. He deeded several acres of land to a board of trustees for the development of a college. This was just two years after he founded Brigham Young Academy in...
and Business Executive.
After being titled "The Galloping Greek" by the Daily Breeze
Daily Breeze
The Daily Breeze is a 70,000-circulation daily newspaper published in Torrance, California. It serves the South Bay cities of Los Angeles County. Its slogan is "LAX to LA Harbor".- Early history :...
newspaper while playing for North Torrance High School, Farasopoulos turned down a professional baseball contract with the Baltimore Orioles
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
, choosing instead to accept a full and guaranteed football scholarship from Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...
.
In kind with the social and ethnic tensions of the late 1960s
1960s
The 1960s was the decade that started on January 1, 1960, and ended on December 31, 1969. It was the seventh decade of the 20th century.The 1960s term also refers to an era more often called The Sixties, denoting the complex of inter-related cultural and political trends across the globe...
there was some controversy regarding Farasopoulos' decision to refuse the contract offer when it became known that he had also been asked to abbreviate his typically long Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
last name. He is remembered for having said, "It is what it is."
Best known for his agility
Agility
* Agility is a physical trait of an animal or person, and a component of physical fitness. It is the ability to change the body's position and direction with speed and precision.Agility may also refer to:In Sport:...
and speed at BYU, Chris played defensive back as well as punt and kickoff return. In 1968 he set a Western Athletic Conference
Western Athletic Conference
The Western Athletic Conference is an American collegiate athletic conference, which was formed on July 27, 1962, making it the sixth oldest of the 11 college athletic conferences currently participating in the NCAA's Division I FBS...
record for average yards returned per kickoff at 27.2, a record that stood until Chad Owens
Chad Owens
Chad Owens is a professional American, Canadian and Arena football wide receiver and kick returner for the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League. He was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the sixth round of the 2005 NFL Draft...
' 29.4 average yards per return years later.
After selecting John Riggins
John Riggins
Robert John Riggins, nicknamed "The Diesel", is a former American football running back in the National Football League for the New York Jets and Washington Redskins. Riggins was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1992....
and John Mooring in the first and second rounds of the 1971 NFL Draft
1971 NFL Draft
The 1971 National Football League Draft was held on January 28–29, 1971.-Player selections:-Round one:-Round two:-Round three:-Round four:-Round five:-Round six:-Round seven:-Round eight:-Round nine:-Round ten:...
, the New York Jets
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
chose Chris in the third round with the 58th pick overall. During his rookie season he began a lasting friendship
Friendship
Friendship is a form of interpersonal relationship generally considered to be closer than association, although there is a range of degrees of intimacy in both friendships and associations. Friendship and association are often thought of as spanning across the same continuum...
with teammates Riggins and Burgess Owens
Burgess Owens
Clarence Burgess Owens is a retired safety who played ten seasons in the National Football League for the New York Jets and the Oakland Raiders...
. All three were known for the spirit
Spirit
The English word spirit has many differing meanings and connotations, most of them relating to a non-corporeal substance contrasted with the material body.The spirit of a living thing usually refers to or explains its consciousness.The notions of a person's "spirit" and "soul" often also overlap,...
they contributed to the New York Jets team. Later in his career Chris played for the New Orleans Saints
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....
.
Chris holds a BS in Human Performance from Brigham Young University and spent 13 years at Integrated Device Technology
Integrated Device Technology
Integrated Device Technology, Inc. is a publicly traded corporation headquartered in San Jose, California, that designs, manufactures, and markets low-power, high-performance mixed-signal semiconductor solutions for the advanced communications, computing, and consumer industries. The company...
Inc. in various operations management positions both at IDT’s Technology Center and IDT’s Static RAM Division in Salinas CA. Before joining IDT, Chris held management positions at VLSI Technology Inc. and National Semiconductor
National Semiconductor
National Semiconductor was an American semiconductor manufacturer, that specialized in analog devices and subsystems,formerly headquartered in Santa Clara, California, USA. The products of National Semiconductor included power management circuits, display drivers, audio and operational amplifiers,...
. Most recently Chris Farasopoulos was responsible for Customer Operations and Business Development as Vice President with QuickSil of Fremont, California
Fremont, California
Fremont is a city in Alameda County, California. It was incorporated on January 23, 1956, from the merger of five smaller communities: Centerville, Niles, Irvington, Mission San Jose, and Warm Springs...
.
Chris is the only son of Vasilios Farasopoulos and Theodora Farasopoulos. Chris is married, has three daughters (two of whom are twins
TWINS
Two Wide-Angle Imaging Neutral-Atom Spectrometers are a pair of NASA instruments aboard two United States National Reconnaissance Office satellites in Molniya orbits. TWINS was designed to provide stereo images of the Earth's ring current. The first instrument, TWINS-1, was launched aboard USA-184...
) and lives with his family in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.