Sammie Stroughter (Granite Bay/Roseville, Calif.) is an outstanding athlete on the football field and an outstanding student in the classroom. Stroughter is a sociology major in his sophomore year at Oregon State and has acquired a cumulative grade-point average of  3.00. He is a wide receiver for the team as well as a punt and kick returner, and is competing for a starting job during spring football practice.  

OSU Sports Information student assistant Caleb Hawley had a chance to sit down with Stroughter recently:

What got you into football and who were your early influences?

“My brother was my early influence. It was just doing something productive, outside of the environments I was living in. The environment I was living in wasn’t really that great, so sports were an avenue to do something productive in life.”

What have you enjoyed most about Oregon State football?

“The players. I have had a chance to meet different people from different places. It’s enjoyable just being a part of team at Oregon State.”

What has been your most memorable moment in a Beaver uniform?

“The most memorable moment was when we beat the Ducks in 2004. Everybody came together. One heartbeat, everyone came together for the victory.”

How was the off-season for you and for the team?

“The off-season progressed well, we worked hard. We’re building a lot of team chemistry. Individually we know what we have to do; we’ve got to step it up. We don’t want another 5-6 season.”

Other than football, what sport would you like to play at the collegiate level?

“Probably baseball. That’s what I grew up on.”

What have you enjoyed most about being a student-athlete in Corvallis?

“The different atmosphere; I’m a city boy.  I have learned to calm down, take everything one day at a time and be the best person I can be.”  

Being a student-athlete has to take up a lot of time, how do you manage your time?

“It’s all about time commitment; time management of course. You have to spend your time wisely. Have a schedule and abide by it.”

What are your plans after Oregon State?

“I am going to graduate from Oregon State with my sociology degree and I will go into law enforcement, and then after law enforcement I want to be a social worker.”