Christian Okoye
Christian Emeka Okoye (/oʊˈkɔɪeɪ/; born August 16, 1961), is a Nigerian-American former American football running back for the Kansas City Chiefs from 1987 to 1992.[2][3][1] Nicknamed the "Nigerian Nightmare", Okoye was known for his powerful running style and ability to break tackles. Okoye's six seasons in the NFL saw an NFL rushing title in 1989, first-team All-Pro honors (1989), second-team All-Pro honors (1991), two Pro Bowl appearances (1989, 1991), and three playoff appearances.[4] He ended his NFL career due to multiple injuries.[5] Okoye was inducted into the Kansas City Chiefs Hall of Fame in 2000.[1]
 Okoye in Iraq, 2006 | |||||||||
| No. 35 | |||||||||
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| Position: | Running back[1] | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | August 16, 1961 Enugu, Nigeria | ||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 265 lb (120 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| College: | Azusa Pacific | ||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 1987 / Round: 2 / Pick: 35 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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College career
A member of the Igbo ethnic group, Okoye was born in Enugu, Nigeria. He arrived in the US at age 21 and did not play American football until age 23, when he joined the squad at California's Azusa Pacific University. He excelled in track and field, winning seven college titles in the shot put, discus, and hammer throw. The first time he attended an American football game he thought the game was boring.[5][6]
After the Nigerian government failed to select Okoye for the Olympics, he sought something else to do besides track and field and went out for American football. Initially, Okoye did not enjoy the roughness of football and thought about quitting but friends convinced him to continue playing.[5] His speed (4.45-second speed in the 40-yard dash) was unusual for someone his size (6'1" and 260 lbs),[7] and this rare combination of talents led to his selection in the second round of the 1987 NFL Draft by the Kansas City Chiefs.
Professional career
In his rookie year, Okoye rushed for 660 yards on 157 carries. The following year, a thumb injury limited him to nine games, and he finished the season with 473 yards.
In 1989, Okoye enjoyed his best NFL season by far, leading the league in both rushing attempts (370) and rushing yards (1,480), becoming the first Chiefs player to lead the NFL in rushing. Though the Chiefs missed the playoffs, Okoye was selected by UPI as the American Football Conference's Offensive Player of the Year and earned a trip to Hawaii for the Pro Bowl.
The remainder of Okoye's career was marked by a nagging knee injury, one which limited him to 805 yards and a 3.3 yard average per carry in 1990. Though his 1991 performance (1,031 yards, 4.6 yards per carry) earned him his second Pro Bowl appearance, Okoye's carries in 1992 were largely limited to goal-line situations.
On August 25, 1993, Chiefs placed Okoye on injured reserve before the regular season began due to knee injuries.[8] He underwent surgeries on both his knees and was released on an injury settlement that September. He went home to California to continue rehabilitating his knee. He intended to work out for other teams before ultimately retiring.[9]
Okoye's last carry as a professional football running back was an 8-yard touchdown.
Okoye has stated that he ended his NFL career because he became tired of practice, and that he considered football to be a job.[5]
Okoye retired as the Chiefs' all-time rushing leader, having amassed 4,897 yards, 1,246 attempts, and 14 games with at least 100 yards rushing, in his six seasons. Those team records have since been surpassed by Priest Holmes. His 40 career rushing touchdowns as a member of the Chiefs trail only Holmes and Marcus Allen. His Chiefs records for carries in a game and rushing attempts in a season were surpassed by Larry Johnson. Okoye was the team MVP in 1989, and was enshrined in the Chiefs Hall of Fame in 2000.
Among videogamers, Okoye is well known for his performances in Tecmo Super Bowl (1991), in which he's nearly impossible to tackle.[10]
NFL career statistics
| Year | Team | GP | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | KC | 12 | 157 | 660 | 4.2 | 43 | 3 | 24 | 169 | 7.0 | 22 | 0 |
| 1988 | KC | 9 | 105 | 473 | 4.5 | 48 | 3 | 8 | 51 | 6.4 | 12 | 0 |
| 1989 | KC | 15 | 370 | 1,480 | 4.0 | 59 | 12 | 2 | 12 | 6.0 | 8 | 0 |
| 1990 | KC | 14 | 245 | 805 | 3.3 | 32 | 7 | 4 | 23 | 5.8 | 8 | 0 |
| 1991 | KC | 14 | 225 | 1,031 | 4.6 | 48 | 9 | 3 | 34 | 11.3 | 13 | 0 |
| 1992 | KC | 15 | 144 | 448 | 3.1 | 22 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 5.0 | 5 | 0 |
| Career | 79 | 1,246 | 4,897 | 3.9 | 59 | 40 | 42 | 294 | 7.0 | 22 | 0 | |
Post-NFL career
Okoye was an investor in the Golden Baseball League and owned Okoye Health and Fitness, a company that sells nutritional supplements. He made an appearance as a boxer on the FX Network's Celebrity Boxing special. He also founded the California Sports Hall of Fame of which he is president.[11]
He appeared on the CBS reality show Pirate Master and was voted off by his shipmates on the second episode for his slow speed in the Expedition. He went home with no gold from Expeditions.[12] Okoye appeared on Pros vs Joes in its third season.
The Christian Okoye Foundation sponsors the Ontario Mills 5K and 10K race. The proceeds of the race benefit local after-school athletic programs in the inland empire.
Personal life
While growing up in Nigeria, Okoye became good friends with Olympian Innocent Egbunike. When Innocent began attending Azusa he spoke to track and field coaches about Okoye's ability in the discus and they offered Okoye a scholarship on Egbunike's recommendation.[13]
Okoye married his college sweetheart Lauren Brown in 1990, and divorced in 1996. They had two children together, Michael Emeka Okoye born July 12, 1990, who died shortly after birth due to neonatal asphyxia, and Tiana Chinwe Okoye born August 26, 1991.
References
- "Official Website of the Kansas City Chiefs | Chiefs.com". Kansas City Chiefs. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
- "Christian Okoye, RB at NFL.com". NFL.com. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
- "Christian Okoye Stats". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
- Williams, Doug (October 2, 2017). "How Christian Okoye is still making an impact 30 years after his debut". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
- Radio interview on the Phoenix-based sports talk show "Gambo & Ash" on KTAR 620, April 10, 2008
- Petersen, Al (June 23, 2015). "Christian Okoye's past spurs him forward". Orange County Register. Retrieved March 3, 2019.
- Sando, Mike (December 27, 2017). "Nigerian Nightmare: The legend lives on, 30 years later". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 3, 2019.
- "N.F.L. Training Camp Report". The New York Times. August 25, 1993.
- "Chiefs and Okoye Reach Injury Settlement". The New York Times. September 2, 1993.
- Strauss, Chris (October 23, 2012). "Chiefs legend Christian Okoye discovers his Tecmo Super Bowl dominance". USA Today.
- "State's Hall of Fame to induct first class". The Union. Grass Valley, California. December 11, 2006. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
- Warner, Tyrone (June 8, 2007). "Ex-NFL running back cut adrift from 'Pirate Master'". CTVglobemedia. Archived from the original on March 2, 2008. Retrieved February 27, 2009.
- Lieber, Jill (April 27, 1987). "A Bruiser from Asuza". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
External links
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