National Football Foundation

An impressive defensive player with good size and speed, Columbia's Michael Quarshie has dominated wherever he has played football, at different universities, even different countries.

A Political Science major, Quarshie has continued to maintain an excellent academic record during his transfer to Columbia from St. Peter's College. A three-time Academic All-Conference selection, he is scheduled to graduate on time in May of 2005 and attend graduate school to work towards his MBA. 

Born in Erlangen, Germany and raised in Helsinki, Finland, Quashie has found a football home in the United States. A two-time All-Conference selection, First Team in 2003 and Second Team in 2001 (at St. Peters), he finished fourth on the team with 57 tackles, 12 tackles for a loss, two fumble recoveries and one sack in 2003. An NCAA Division I-AA Mid-Major Second Team All-America selection in 2001, Quarshie helped St. Peters to a 10-1 record while recording a conference-best 9.5 sacks. 

Although there was no high school football in Finland, Quarshie played on club and military teams overseas and led the Helsinki Roosters to four top-three finishes in the Finnish National League. While serving in Finland's Army, he finished second in the military-wrestling event at the Annual National Military Combat Tournament. A participant in Columbia's canned food drive, Quarshie also volunteers for Toys for Tots. 

Quarshie played with the Frankfurt Galaxy of NFL Europe right out of college and signed with the Oakland Raiders in 2006. He also played with the Porvoo Butchers in Finland and the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League. Quarshie is the founder and CEO of the Wellness Foundry, which delivers cutting-edge web and mobile tools to help people eat better and to live healthier.