Adriana Falconi
 | This article has been cleared by an Approver on the wiki team. 37thchamber (talk) 06:05, 11 July 2018 (MDT) |
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| No. 3 – Retired | |||||||||||||
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| Position: | Quarterback | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born: | September 6, 2002 (aged 58) Siena, Tuscany, Italy | ||||||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight: | 180 lb (82 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| College: | Columbia | ||||||||||||
| ISFL Draft: | 2025 / Round: 1 / Pick: 5 | ||||||||||||
| DSFL Draft: | 2024 / Round: 1 / Pick: 4 | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
| Roster status: | Retired | ||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||
| Career ISFL statistics | |||||||||||||
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Adriana Falconi (born September 6, 2002) is a retired American football quarterback best known for her time with the Philadelphia Liberty of the National Simulation Football League (NSFL). Before being drafted by the Liberty, she won three straight Development Simulation Football League (DSFL) championships with the Tijuana Luchadores. She played college football for Columbia University before entering the professional ranks in 2023.
Contents
Early years
Falconi was born and raised in Siena, Italy. Her parents, Giovanni Falconi and Cristina Pennetta, are well-known in Siena for their restaurant Il Civetta, located in the center of the city. They claim to serve the best pizza in the city – which is something believed by many tourists but few locals. Adriana has a brother, Mateo, who is 12 years her senior.
Football popularity skyrocketed in Italy with the creation of the NSFL, and the Falconis have always called themselves Yellowknife Wraiths fans, originally following them because of their intriguing location and staying fans for the constant quality of their rosters. Like in most countries, the sport was limited to boys, however, so it was difficult for Falconi to practice it. It was only when her brother joined the coaching staff of their local team that she got a chance to play. During all her years playing in her home country, her team always made the playoffs.
College career
Although football was her passion, Falconi never truly believed she could make it professionally. She attended the Polytechnic University of Milan, studying engineering for a year, before applying for a scholarship at Columbia in New York City, which she obtained based on academic merits. Inspired by the career of other women in the NSFL, Falconi tried out to be a part of Columbia's football team. Because of the success of other women in the NSFL, university programs were more willing to accept female players in their ranks, especially schools like Columbia. Even if she was rusty after not playing for a year, the level of play was pretty limited and she easily got the starting job. She started a total of 8 games for Columbia before moving on to the DSFL.
College career statistics
| Career statistics | Passing | Rushing | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | Games | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | Y/A | TD | Int | Rtg | Att | Yds | Avg | TD |
| 2022 | CU | 8 | 234 | 321 | 72.9% | 3210 | 13.71 | 31 | 5 | 130.1 | 28 | 45 | 1.61 | 2 |
Professional career
| Ht | Wt | 40‑yd dash | 20‑ss | 3‑cone | Vert jump | Broad | BP | Wonderlic | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
180 lb (82 kg) |
5.02 s | 4.88 s | 7.77 s | 22.0 in (0.56 m) |
8 ft 0.7 in (2.46 m) |
16 reps | 44 | ||||
| NSFL Draft Combine | ||||||||||||
DSFL career
In 2023, Falconi declared for the upcoming DSFL draft. Unclaimed on waivers, she was eventually signed by the Tijuana Luchadores. Due to the abundance of quarterbacks on the team, she got no starts in her first season but did get some playing time. She made her debut against the San Antonio Marshals in a 13-31 loss. The Luchadores won the 2023 DSFL Championship, making Falconi an Ultimini Champion despite her limited playing time.
During the 2024 DSFL Draft (S9), the Luchadores traded up to draft Achilles Hondo second overall and used the fourth overall selection to pick Falconi.
Even if she was still sharing starting duties with Andreas Metaxas, Falconi saw a lot more action than during her first season with the Luchadores. She did extremely well, too. She completed 171 passes on 270 attempts and had (at the time) a record breaking 19 touchdowns for the season. The Luchadores as a team had a nearly perfect season and they topped it off with their second Ultimini in two seasons. On an individual note, Falconi won the DSFL Offensive Rookie of the Year and the DSFL Quarterback of the Year awards. Her dream season ended with the NSFL draft, where she was selected 5th overall by the Philadelphia Liberty. Philadelphia fans and media already started calling her by the nickname that would stick even beyond her professional career, ""Phillyconi"".
The following season was more of the same for Tijuana, who managed to improve their season record to 10-4-0, managing to even go undefeated at home. This season would prove a little more difficult for Falconi but she still helped her team win yet another Ultimini. This was her third championship in her first three seasons in the NSFL system.
NSFL career
To say that Liberty supporters were excited for Falconi's debut with their team would be an understatement. The previous season, Philadelphia managed to lose every single game they played and their quarterback, Logan Noble, kept proving he was not worthy of being Tyler Oles's successor at all. In 28 games with the Liberty, Noble would manage to win only 4.
Falconi made her debut against the New Orleans Second Line in a 17-29 loss. Preseason had also proven difficult for the rookie, where her team won only one of their games. Luckily, she wouldn't have to wait very long for her first NSFL win. The following week, the Liberty triumphed over the San Jose Sabercats in a very low scoring game 10-6. This would also be the first clash between the two 2025 quarterback rookies.The rest of her rookie season proved exciting but a 3 game losing streak between weeks 8 and 10 would prove fatal for the Liberty's playoff hopes. Still, they could finally see the light and ended the season with a record of 7-7.
It was already quite apparent that in her first NSFL season, Falconi had grown a lot in confidence. Although she passed less in her sophomore season, her plays made more sense and she was less afraid to attempt runs on her own. The Liberty finished the season with the same record of 7-7 but this time, luck was on their side. They finally qualified for the playoffs. The team would put on a great show against the Baltimore Hawks but they ultimately fell 24-30.
The 2028 season was a great one for Falconi. Her statistics improved across the board. This was, individually, one of her career best seasons and the only time she won an award in the NSFL. She got the Performance of the Year Award for her game against the Hawks in Week 11. It was a close game in which Falconi threw 4 touchdown passes, threw for 394 yards and completed over 70% of her passes. The Liberty found themselves in the playoffs for a second consecutive year. Unfortunately, Falconi couldn't keep her regular season form and had a bad game against the Colorado Yeti. The Liberty lost 27-50.
Season 2029 is mostly remembered by Liberty fans as the season where where their team reached the Ultimus Bowl for the first time in 7 years. Despite a good game by Philly, San Jose was able to capitalize on their chances more and won their first championship.
In 2030, Falconi's passing statistics decreased a bit from her previous season's. The highlight of that year, however, came in Week 2 against the New Orleans Second Line. In the second quarter, as the game was tied 7-7, Falconi ran for 84 yards to score, arguably, the most insane touchdown of her career. It is still to this day the longest run by a quarterback in the history of the NSFL, and one of the longest by any player. In the playoffs, the Liberty would lose to the eventual Ultimus Champions, the Baltimore Hawks.
The 2031 season was a year of career highs for Phillyconi. She had, among other things, an impressive total of 36 touchdowns. This was also her second and final appearance at the Ultimus Bowl, where the Liberty would lose to the Arizona Outlaws 34-30.
Beyond that season, Falconi's career was on the decline. The Liberty failed to make the playoffs for two seasons post expansion and managed to qualify, despite a losing record, in Falconi's last year. At that point, she decided it was time to give rookie Brock Phoenix the spotlight and retire while her star was still somewhat shining.
Retirement
Falconi returned to live in her hometown in Italy after her retirement but often makes the trip to Philadelphia to participate in various team activities. The Philadelphia Liberty retired her #3 shortly after her retirement.
Professional career statistics
| Career statistics | Passing | Rushing | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | Games | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | Y/A | TD | Int | Rtg | Att | Yds | Avg | TD |
| 2023 | TIJ | 4 | 17 | 31 | 54.8% | 198 | 6.38 | 0 | 0 | 74.4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | TIJ | 14 | 171 | 270 | 63.3% | 1879 | 6.96 | 19 | 9 | 93.4 | 7 | 12 | 1.7 | 0 |
| 2025 | TIJ | 14 | 163 | 280 | 58.2% | 1718 | 6.14 | 9 | 12 | 69.0 | 4 | 8 | 2 | 0 |
| 2026 | PHI | 14 | 291 | 527 | 55.2% | 2977 | 5.65 | 17 | 19 | 67.4 | 16 | 50 | 3.1 | 1 |
| 2027 | PHI | 14 | 213 | 369 | 57.7% | 2550 | 6.91 | 23 | 18 | 79.4 | 24 | 106 | 4.4 | 0 |
| 2028 | PHI | 14 | 278 | 475 | 58.5% | 3798 | 7.99 | 24 | 11 | 91.4 | 16 | 36 | 2.2 | 0 |
| 2029 | PHI | 14 | 304 | 540 | 56.3% | 4106 | 7.60 | 28 | 13 | 87.9 | 16 | 38 | 2.4 | 0 |
| 2030 | PHI | 14 | 304 | 528 | 57.6% | 3247 | 6.15 | 20 | 10 | 80.4 | 29 | 194 | 6.7 | 1 |
| 2031 | PHI | 13 | 278 | 476 | 58.4% | 3693 | 7.76 | 36 | 15 | 95.2 | 19 | 88 | 4.6 | 0 |
| 2032 | PHI | 13 | 293 | 516 | 56.8% | 3322 | 6.44 | 24 | 12 | 82.0 | 13 | 63 | 4.8 | 1 |
| 2033 | PHI | 13 | 268 | 498 | 53.8% | 3248 | 6.52 | 21 | 13 | 77.3 | 10 | 21 | 2.1 | 0 |
| 2034 | PHI | 13 | 228 | 405 | 56.3% | 2699 | 6.66 | 13 | 7 | 80.3 | 14 | 48 | 3.4 | 0 |
Achievements and Awards
Awards
- 2023: Ultimini Cup VI Champion
- 2024: Ultimini Cup VII Champion
- 2024: DSFL Quarterback of the Year
- 2024: DSFL Offensive Rookie of the Year
- 2025: Ultimini Cup VIII Champion
- 2028: NSFL Performance of the Year (Week 11)
- NSFL Pro Bowl Selection (3) : 2028 , 2030 , 2031
DSFL Records
- 2024: Broke DSFL Record for best pass completion percentage (63.3%)
- 2024: Broke DSFL Record for best passing rating (93.4)
- 2024: Tied DSFL Record for most passing touchdowns in a single season (19)
NSFL Records
- 2030: Broke NSFL Record for longest run by a quarterback (84 yards)
