Dolphins’ Ogbah pays it forward to African youth after moving to US, learning football

Dolphins defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah had just finished the second day of joint practices with the Texans on Thursday and he looked over to NRG Stadium, which sits across the street from Houston’s practice facility.

“We stopped at this Papa Johns not too far from here,” Ogbah told the Miami Herald, recalling some of his first memories in the United States. “That’s where I got my first pizza.”

The Dolphins’ trip to Houston for practices ahead of their second preseason game on Saturday has served as a homecoming for many players who grew up in the area. And that includes Ogbah, who moved from Lagos, Nigeria, to the Houston area with his family when he was nine and grew up about 25 minutes from NRG Stadium.

The trip back home was a reminder of his roots, his introduction to football, as well as how he wants to pay it forward to the next generation of African athletes.

In April, Ogbah went back to the continent for the first time since his move as a child, joining four other NFL players of African descent for the league’s second annual “NFL Africa” program in Nairobi, Kenya. As part of the NFL’s effort to grow the game globally, the players assisted with a showcase that had 29 prospects from across the continent participate in a three-day NFL Combine-style camp. The athletes competed for invites to the NFL International Combine, NFL International Player Pathway Program or the chance to be a part of the NFL Academy in UK, another player pathway program for teenagers around the world.

“There’s a lot of raw talent,” Ogbah said. “All they need is a little guidance. They don’t know football. Obviously, they know soccer. Some know how to play basketball. But they don’t know football. But if you teach them — we spent like two days teaching them football and they picked it up real quick. They’re eager to learn. That’s what I liked about them.”

After the trip, Ogbah become the owner of the Naija Lions, a Lagos-based flag football team in the Uprise Flag Football League, which is coordinated by two-time Super Bowl champion and former New York Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora.

The league, which is for athletes between the ages of 15 and 20, is the NFL’s first flag football league in Nigeria. Other owners include former NFL running back Maurice Jones-Drew, Cleveland Browns tight end David Njoku and Detriot Lions defensive end Romeo Okwara.

Umenyiora, the league’s lead ambassador for NFL Africa, first connected with Ogbah when he was in college at Oklahoma State. Like Ogbah, Umenyiora spent several years growing up in Nigeria before moving to the United States and then getting introduced to football. Ogbah, who grew up a Giants fan, looked up to Umenyiora, but Umenyiora didn’t know of many NFL players of Nigerian descent after he moved to the United States.

Umenyiora has visited Africa over the years for various philanthropic events, like digging wells and setting up electricity. But he saw American football wasn’t as big in the continent as he thought it should be, especially given the number of players with ties to Africa in the NFL.

“People didn’t even know what it was or all these players who are from there who are doing amazing things,” he told the Herald in a phone interview. “I knew that that had to change.”

In 2021, Umenyiora co-founded Uprise, a football development program based in Nigeria. Uprise has hosted several showcases across the continent, and three players who attended the tryouts last year signed NFL contracts.

When it came time to launch the four-team flag football league, Umenyiora reached out to Ogbah, who agreed to help with the venture. Ogbah’s team has a group chat, where they share updates and receive words of encouragement. The six-game regular season began in late June and concluded in early August, just as Ogbah was in the first few days of training camp in Miami Gardens. Ogbah’s team fell one game short of reaching the championship, while Jones-Drew’s captured the title and cash prize.

The NFL now has more than 125 players of African descent from 15 countries across the continent currently playing in the NFL. Ogbah, cornerbacks Kader Kohou and Noah Igbinoghene, wide receiver Erik Ezukanma and offensive tackle Cedric Ogbuehi are among those with the Dolphins.

In September, the league will hold fan events in Cape Town, South Africa, to celebrate the kickoff of the 2023 NFL season.

Ogbah and Umenyiora foresee the number of African players in the NFL increasing at a greater clip in the next few years, especially as the league continues its efforts with NFL Africa and Umenyiora’s developmental program grows. Umenyiora wants to start earlier with African youth, with the goal of getting them to high schools and colleges in the United States. Even if the journey doesn’t end with them making it to the NFL, they see tremendous benefits in using the education to create a better life for themselves and their families.

“It’s definitely a brotherhood because it’s not a lot of us. Well, now it is. It’s more of us, but it’s not a big majority,” Ogbah said. “So, when we see each other balling out, we support each other. I damn near follow every Nigerian player because we always follow NFL Africa. It’s dope to see my brothers in the league, as well.”