[dropcap]A[/dropcap]s Africa’s most populous country, Nigeria is home to countless notable names. From entertainment to technology to professional sports, the country’s top talents tend to move abroad to build their careers internationally.
Sports are, of course, a popular way to get active with Nigerians loving to get involved in local events such as the recent Lagos Marathon. That said, many Nigerian athletes end up in Europe plying their trades with the majority playing for clubs in the top football leagues. But did you know that just as many end up in North America playing American football? In fact, some of the first international players in leagues like the NFL hailed from Nigeria.
Today, NFL fans can likely name more than a few top-tier players that were born in cities like Lagos or Ibadan. Nelson Agholor, for example, is a wide receiver who hails from Lagos. Jeremiah Attaochu comes from Ibadan and currently plays as a linebacker.
Agholor and Attaochu both recently signed contracts with the Raiders and the Broncos respectively, which means they face each other in the AFC West division. But back home in Nigeria, fans of the NFL also have options when it comes to watching and supporting native players.
Streaming sports online has never been easier with reliable internet connections. The same can also be said for finding a reliable sportsbook for NFL betting now that the US repealed a prohibitive law against sports betting. For diehard fans, there are also fantasy leagues that allow users to build and manage their own fantasy team.
Luckily for those looking to learn more about the game, many star players return home annually to sponsor football camps and events designed to help foster American football talent.
Christian Okoye, aka the ‘Nigerian Nightmare’
Christian Emeka Okoye hails from Enugu. His interest in sports developed with the help of a good friend and future Olympian runner, Innocent Egbunike. Eventually, Okoye would leave Nigeria with the help of Egbunike, who pushed for an athletic scholarship at Azusa University in California, USA.
There, Okoye participated in track and field, but after an unsuccessful run to join the Nigerian Olympic team, he shifted his focus to American football. In the end, his size and agility attracted the attention of the Kansas City Chiefs, who drafted him in 1987.
Within only two years of playing for the Chiefs, Okoye became known as the ‘Nigerian Nightmare’ for his offensive rushing. In 1989, the United Press named his as his conference’s Offensive Player of the Year.
Following a multi-year struggle with a knee injury, Okoye retired. He was inducted into the Kansas City Chiefs Hall of Fame in 2000. Many of his records for rushing yards stood until very recently.
Draft Class of 2018
One of the clearest examples of Nigeria’s growing presence in the US’s American football league is the 2018 NFL Draft in which nine of fifteen first-generation players from Africa featured in the draft hailed from Nigeria.
Of those nine players, only one, Ade Aruna, was born in Nigeria. All but one were drafted (Aruna included). Of the eight Nigerian athletes drafted, six continue to play in the NFL, while one, Ebenezer Ogundeko, plays for the BC Lions in the Canadian Football League (CFL) and another, Godwin Igwebuike, plays for the XFL league.
Currently, the eight Nigerian players still active in American football from the 2018 Draft alone tend to play in positions that require both strength and speed. Four are outside linebackers, two are safeties, and two more are defensive ends.
These positions rely on a combination of physical fortitude and agility that’s difficult to find in an athlete. Typically, brawn is substituted for speed, and vice versa. Players like Uchenna Nwosu, linebacker for the LA Chargers, and Derrick Nnadi, defensive tackle for the Kansas City Chiefs, look to have promising futures in the NFL.
Nwosu has played for the Chargers since he was drafted in 2018. That same year, he managed to defy the odds and cause star quarterback Lamar Jackson to fumble. Ultimately, this play led the Chargers to advance in their division.
Nnadi also plays for his drafting team, the Kansas City Chiefs. Of all the players mentioned in the 2018 Draft, Nnadi has managed to sign a lucrative deal with his franchise. In 2018, he signed a four-year deal worth nearly $4 million USD. It proved to be a great decision as earlier this year, the Chiefs won the Super Bowl to be named NFL Champions.
