Nnamdi Asomugha – A diamond in the rough!

By Steve O’Reilly

Once in a blue moon a player comes along who has it all. The work ethic, speed, grace, positive energy and likeability as a player and a person. When those special guys come along – we like to talk about it. Out in Oakland, they have had their fair share of struggles over the last 6 years. Numerous coaching changes and a lack of stability in the front office have defined the Raiders rebuilding effort. Oakland has averaged just 4 wins a season over that period and through all the hard times and struggles as a franchise one man has stood head and shoulders above the rest, that man is Nnamdi Asomugha, the diamond in the rough!

Nnamdi was born in Lafayette, Louisiana then moved to Los Angeles where he went to two different High Schools before finally settling at Narbonne High School in Harbor City, California. After High School, Asomugha went to the University of California, Berkley where he graduated with a degree in Corporate Finance in 2006. He played the Free Safety position at Cal, making plays all over the field. Drafted by the Oakland Raiders in 2003 in the 1st Round, 31st overall he was moved to Cornerback where he has become the finest in the game. Yes, you read that correctly, he went back to college while playing in the NFL and received his degree – he finished what he started.

Nnamdi Asomugha is not your typical football player. On the field Nnamdi is one of the elite players in the NFL. While not a house hold name, people that closely follow football know all about him. He is considered a true ”shutdown” corner, meaning he can take away a teams best receiver. He can do it all from covering the fastest Wide Out to tackling the biggest Running Back, he truly is a complete player.  Off the field he shines just the same, he truly is a complete person.

Asomugha serves as an Advisory Board Chairman for the Orphans and Widows In Need (OWIN) Foundation, which his family started. OWIN provides food, shelter, medicine, vocational training, literacy efforts, and scholarships to widows and orphans that find themselves in situations out their control either in poverty or abuse in Nigeria. As of right now, OWIN has two centers in Nigeria and is hoping to grow and expand to other countries in Africa by 2010.

That’s not all, in fact it’s not even close! In 2004 Asomugha started working with the East Oakland Youth Development Center where he takes young men and women to Colleges and Universities around the country to show them things that may never get a chance to see. He preaches the importance of going to college and helps guide them in the right direction. He speaks to large groups of youngsters on the importance of hard work, dedication and a positive attitude. Nnamdi provides back packs, shoes, running suits and other goodies to high schoolers then hosts an event for all to come and celebrate academics, he has even taken them fishing!

Impressed? We’re not done yet! On a global level Asomugha has teamed up with Bill Clinton, Matthew McConaughey and Marie Tillman in 2009 at the Clinton Global Initative University where he helps guide students to make a difference in the world. Challenging them to take initative and do something to make this a better world to live in.

On the local level,  Nnamdi decided to give backpacks to all incoming freshman at his former high school. In the endorsment contract he signed with Nike he made it mandatory that they give sneakers and cleats to the Basketball and Football team at his former Narbonne High School.

From the little things to big things, from the kids to the All Pro receivers, Asomugha has it covered. He has been nominated for numerous community and Sportsman of the Year Awards including one by Sports Illustrated in 2007. He is as humble, honest and hardworking a man as you can meet. On the field Nnamdi is known as “shutdown” cornerback, off the field he is simply known as man that we should all hope to emulate, a person that we can all aspire to be. A true leader that anyone would be proud to follow!

Hat’s off to Nnamdi Asomugha!