Michael Sam Is The First Openly Gay Football Player Drafted Into The NFL....St. Louis Rams selected him with the 249th pick in the seventh round of the 2014 draft. WATCH AS Michael Reacts to Being Drafted by the Rams (VIDEO)

Michael Sam has reached the NFL. The NFL has reached out to Michael Sam. Both milestones made American sports history.

The first-team All-American defensive lineman from the University of Missouribecame the first openly gay player ever drafted into the NFL when the St. Louis Rams selected him with the 249th pick in the seventh round of the 2014 draft. 

Sam, the 2013 SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Year, waited until the eighth-to-last selection to hear his name called at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on Saturday. The 24-year-old from Hitchcock, Texas announced that he was gay in February in interviews with The New York Times and ESPN. He told both media outlets that he came out to his teammates during a preseason football practice before the Tigers' 2013 campaign. Sam went on to lead the SEC in sacks (11.5) and tackles for a loss (19) as Missouri roared to a 12-2 record. more