How Carolina Panthers 1st-round NFL draft pick, NC State's 'Ickey' Ekwonu, got his nickname
There is a legitimate question as to whether N.C. State offensive lineman Ikem Ekwonu will be the NFL's No. 1 overall draft pick Thursday night.
Another question remains: When his name is called, which name will be used?
Ikem (pronounced ee-kem) goes by "Ickey," a nickname given to him by his Pop Warner coach, who thought he resembled former Cincinnati Bengals running back Ickey Woods.
But his full given first name, Ikemefuna "Ee-kehm-e-fu-na", was chosen from the book "Things Fall Apart" by Nigerian author Chinua Achebe. Ikemfuna is one of the heroes of the story. Ikem loosely translates to "my effort will not be in vain."
Ekwonu and his fraternal twin, Osita, are the youngest of four children. Osita is currently a senior defensive lineman at Notre Dame.
NC State football coverage:
NC State football’s place in Sam Pendleton’s top 4 shows in-state recruiting power
NC State 'working to secure legal counsel' for OL Chandler Zavala in fight for eligibility
NC State extends football coach Dave Doeren's contract through 2026, retains 10 assistants
"He has lived up to his name," his father, Tagbo, who goes by T.J., told the USA TODAY Network earlier this year about Ikem. T.J. stands 6-foot-6 and played college basketball in Nigeria before immigrating to the United State and becoming a doctor. "Everything he has wanted, he has achieved. But he also had fun with everything he did. Even in sports, playing football at an early age, he was always laughing and smiling."
It's a habit he's never been able to break since he started playing flag football at the age of seven. He played running back in his youth, and every time he'd touch the ball a huge grin would spread across his face.
"I feel like I've always just had that, like, childlike mindset when it comes to football," Ekwonu "Eck-WAHN ew" told the USA TODAY Network. "I'm playing a game. It's just fun. Anytime I'm running into space, it feels like I'm in the backyard playing flag football. I've never lost that playfulness about the game. When I'm running out there, even now, I'm always smiling."
The 6-foot-4, 320-pound offensive tackle has NFL teams smiling from ear to ear about his potential to protect their quarterback and bolster a run game for the next decade. The Jacksonville Jaguars have the No. 1 overall pick and have a long-term need at offensive tackle as do the Houston Texans (No. 3), New York Giants (No. 5) and Carolina Panthers (No. 6).
Ekwonu would become the first Charlotte native drafted No. 1 overall. Only two other North Carolina natives — N.C. State's Mario Williams (2006) and Roman Gabriel (1962) — have gone No. 1 overall in the draft.
"He’s one of those guys that puts his helmet on and changes," N.C. State coach Dave Doeren said. "He wants to finish people."
David Thompson is an award-winning reporter for the USA Today Network covering NC State and Duke athletics. He can be reached at dthompson1@gannett.com, at 828-231-1747, or on Twitter at @daveth89.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Where did N.C. State's Ikem 'Ickey' Ekwonu get his nickname?
