Sam Dana (August 7, 1903 – October 29, 2007), born Samuel Salemi,[1] was a professional American football player who played running back for two seasons for the Hartford Blues and New York Yankees.
He became a football player at the suggestion of a teacher at New Utrecht High School in Brooklyn after seeing him weave through desks as a fellow student was chasing him.
[4][5] Dana was mistaken for a baseball player who died in 1969, the mixup being published in the NFL's Total Football encyclopedia.
He resurfaced in 2003 upon turning 100 when his son notified the Pro Football Hall of Fame that he was living in a nursing home in Kenmore, New York.
He was a guest at the Hall of Fame's Senior Citizen Day later that year and was presented with a special jersey by the Buffalo Bills bearing 100 emblazoned on it upon visiting their training camp.