Did You Know Karen Fairchild Played Quarterback In High School?

Karen Fairchild is a powerhouse singer-songwriter, widely known for her work in the award-winning quartet, Little Big Town. But before she became a country star, Fairchild grew up in an athletic family and played quarterback on her football team. Fairchild recently reflected on an injury she had during a game, per her record label:

“I was the quarterback to my powder puff team. I was running the ball and I came around the corner – this was in high school – and a foreign exchange student, I think her name was Inga, and I didn’t want to fumble ‘cause my brother and my dad were there, and I come from this very athletic family, so I held onto the ball. I knew I was going to go down, so I let my head hit first and I bit all the way through, but I didn’t fumble and I had a hole in my face, though. The sad thing is that it was just flag football, but I left my flags on and cleats and everything, ‘cause it looked cool, and I had blood running all down my jersey. I went to the emergency room like that, and they sewed up my lip.”

These days, however, Fairchild seems to be more focused on music than football. Little Big Town — which also includes Kimberly Schlapman, Jimi Westbrook, and Phillip Sweet — recently announced their upcoming “Friends of Mine Tour,” kicking off on Thursday, April 13, at the BJCC Concert Hall in Birmingham, Alabama. The tour comes at the heels of Little Big Town’s 10th studio album, Mr. Sun, a long-awaited project that included “All Summer,” “Better Love,” “Hell Yeah,” “Three Whiskeys and the Truth,” “Rich Man” and other fan-favorite anthems. See the band’s upcoming tour dates here: