Whitney Dosty, an Arizona native that works with the Cardinals as an account manager on the membership services team, can say something that few people around the league can say.
Scratch that. Actually, not many people around the globe can say.
She is a gold medalist.
Dosty played volleyball at the University of Arizona, followed by a professional career overseas for five seasons. After dislocating her ankle and multiple surgeries, the opportunity to continue playing the sport she loved began to fade.
That was until she was introduced to Team USA sitting volleyball at the Paralympics.
"I just started like diving into that immediately emailed people from USA volleyball," Dosty said. "And growing up, I'd already been involved with the USA youth national team, USA junior national team. So, I was like, 'let's just see what happens.'"
The U.S. team begins Paralympic play Friday at 3 a.m. Arizona time against China.
Initially, it was unusual for the 6-foot-3 Dosty to play on the floor, but the excitement began to return. COVID postponed the Paralympics, giving Dosty a chance to practice more and qualify for the games.
"I couldn't have asked for it to be played out in any other way," Dosty said. "I knew I always wanted to be a gold medalist and go to the Olympics. Never did I think I was going to be in the Paralympics and win a gold medal. Every day I'm like, it's pretty cool that I get to live life this way."
Now, Dosty said she lives a pain-free life and remains a part of Team USA's sit-down volleyball team. The group is now in Paris after qualifying last May. While practicing with the team, she returned to the Valley to work with the Cardinals.
"What's better than to live back home in Arizona, get to work in the NFL, still get to train for volleyball and prepare myself to win hopefully another gold in Paris?" she said.
She isn't the first member of the Cardinals organization to take part in the Olympics. In 1932, Jim Bausch, a halfback for the Chicago Cardinals, competed in Decathlon. Two decades later, Ollie Matson, a future member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, also won two medals as a sprinter. Sam McGuffie was on the Cardinals practice squad before competing in the 2018 Winter Olympics as a member of the United States bobsled team.
Dosty isn't just a Paralympian, or a staff member for an NFL organization. She's also an entrepreneur. She launched her own company, Wavelength Swimwear, which makes bathing suits that fit women with longer torsos.
While there are very few things that could top the thrill of winning a gold medal and representing the United States in Paris, Dosty recognizes that this is just the beginning of her journey.
"I think being a woman in sports is so cool," Dosty said. "Women in sports is on such a rise right now. Even if it was there before, it's being recognized and it's awesome. I feel so much pride and so proud to be a woman in sports, both working in sports and being an athlete at this time."
