Amobi Okoye, Houston Texans
Amobi Okoye
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At 12, most boys are worried about what clothes to wear and what girl to have a crush on.
At age 12, Amobi Okoye was already worried about testing into high school.
Okoye, born in Anambra, Nigeria, moved to Huntsville, Ala. when he was 12. He was so bright he tested into the ninth grade. After not knowing a thing about the sport, Okoye started playing football in his sophomore year and picked up the game so well he got a scholarship to the University of Louisville. At 16, he became the youngest player in the NCAA.
While at Louisville, former head coach Bobby Petrino said he wouldn’t play Okoye until he could at least shave. But after watching him in spring practices, Petrino flipped him a razor just before the start of his freshman season, a welcoming sign that Okoye was ready for college football.
As a senior in ‘06, Okoye started all 13 games for the Cardinals, registering 55 tackles, eight sacks and recovering three fumbles. He achieved Second Team All-American honors by the Associated Press and First Team All-Big East. Thanks to his outstanding senior season, his performance in the ‘07 Orange Bowl and a fantastic week at the Senior Bowl, Okoye was the first defensive tackle selected in the ’07 NFL Draft, taken tenth overall by the Houston Texans.
Okoye was fantastic as a rookie, compiling 32 total tackles and 5.5 sacks. He seemed to hit the proverbial rookie wall later in the season, but he still turned in a solid rookie season. The Texans have a bright future along their defensive line with Okoye and former first overall pick Mario Williams.
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Information sites on Okoye
Houston Texans Official Player Bio: Amobi Okoye
Photos, college highlights and a personal bio on Amobi Okoye can be found at HoustonTexans.com.
NFL.com Player Profile: Amobi Okoye
Find a small profile, game logs, stats and merchandise on Amobi Okoye at NFL.com.
Rotoworld Player Page: Amobi Okoye
Rotoworld.com has some of the best fantasy reporting and advice on the web. Click on the “Previous News” tab to get current and past information on Amobi Okoye for your fantasy football team.
Amobi Okoye Wikipedia Page
Find a comprehensive background on Amobi Okoye's life and football career at Wikipedia.com.
Latest on Okoye
Okoye was fantastic as a rookie, compiling 32 total tackles and 5.5 sacks. While he seemed to hit the proverbial rookie wall later in the season, he still finished with great numbers for a rookie defensive tackle.
Digging up Amobi Okoye on the web
Texans DT Amobi Okoye makes history
As soon as he stepped onto the field in his first game, Amobi Okoye made history.
Texans hope Okoye’s youth will work to his advantage in the NFL
At only 19, Amobi Okoye was the youngest player to ever be selected in the first round of the NFL Draft.
It’s easy to cheer for Okoye
The Huntsville Times’ Mark McCarter feels it’s not hard to root for a young man like Amobi Okoye who constantly has faced an uphill battle to get to where he is today.
Football: Family ties bond Okoye, Houston
Amobi Okoye won’t be alone in Houston because his brother, Arinze, will be by his side to help the 19 year old get acclimated to life in the NFL.
Top pick Okoye, 19, plans to help transform Texans
Not many 19 year olds have the obligation to help turn around an NFL franchise, but that’s exactly what Amobi Okoye intends to do.
Amobi Okoye is an error
Not everyone felt Amobi Okoye was a better prospect than Alan Branch.
Huge for his age
Amobi Okoye is drawing interest from not only NFL scouts, but any football enthusiast just impressed by his young age.
Nigerian teenager a fascinating NFL prospect
Columnist Scott Brown of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review is just one of many who are extremely impressed with youngster Amobi Okoye.
Amobi Says
On playing his first NFL game:
"Today marked the day in history, or whatever. But I don't want to look at it that way. I just want to look at it as what got you here is what you've got to keep on doing. You can't see yourself as being extraordinary or anything like that."
On always being the youngest player on his team:
“It’s always just been me. I never looked at it like everybody else looked at it. I always looked at it as just this is me, this is my grade, this is what I’m supposed to be doing.”