Sam Gordon, along with boxer Claressa Shields, tennis star Victoria Duval and budding basketball star Jaden Neman, is part of the "Voices of the Future" panel at the espnW: Women + Sports Summit. Here are five things you need to know about the 12-year-old football phenom.
1. A viral video of a 9-year-old Gordon utterly dominating on the football field -- breaking tackles and making tackles -- made her an international star in 2012. The video has been played nearly 3.5 million times. And counting.
2. This past May, Gordon helped found the Utah Girls Tackle Football League. It is believed to be the first all-girls tackle football league in the country.
3. Gordon caught the attention of even NFL draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. nearly a decade before college. So what does he think of her game? "You talk about vision, cutback ability, first-tackle breaker, stops on a dime, changes direction, makes people miss," Kiper said of Gordon on "SportsCenter" in 2012. "Sam Gordon is amazing."
4. When you think of breakfast, you may think of Gordon. She was, after all, the first female football player to be featured on a Wheaties box.
5. Gordon has partnered with Disney's Maker Studios to create a YouTube channel that documents what it's like to play football. You also get to see her appearing on talk shows, attending the Super Bowl and traveling with her club soccer team. You know, just the typical things every 12-year-old does.
