Kenechi Udeze
Encyclopedia
Kenechi Nduka Udeze [kəˈnɛtʃi uːˈdɛzeɪ] (born March 5, 1983 in Los Angeles
, California
) is an assistant coach of University of Washington
Huskies football
team and a former American football
defensive end
of the National Football League
.
A first-round draft pick out of the University of Southern California
, Udeze retired early from the NFL after a battle with acute lymphoblastic leukemia
.
at the University of Southern California, and was a three-year starter and helped his team to a 2004 Rose Bowl
victory as a junior. He finished his college career with 135 tackles (51 of them for a loss), 28 sacks (a school record), 14 forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, one interception, five pass deflections, and two blocked kicks.
He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings
20th overall in the 2004 NFL Draft
.
with the 20th overall selection. During his rookie season with the Vikings, he started 15 games and recorded 36 tackles
, five sacks
, one forced fumble
, and one pass deflected
. As a second year pro Udeze was injured in the Vikings third game of the season with cartilage damage in his left knee, which kept him out the rest of the year. Udeze finished the season with 3 games started, 5 tackles, and one sack
. In 2006 he was once again the starter at left defensive end, playing 16 games, starting 15 and recorded 29 tackles and no sacks. The following year he again playing in all 16 games, with 15 starts, and had 47 tackles and five sacks.
: acute lymphoblastic leukemia
. KMSP-TV
(Ch. 9) also reported that Udeze was at Fairview Southdale Hospital undergoing tests and that he was at the Mayo Clinic
in Rochester
the week before. Udeze revealed that his acute leukemia
is in a state of remission. Udeze will get a bone marrow
transplant from his brother. He says he plans to play football again someday, but says health is his No. 1 priority for now.
The Vikings placed Udeze on the non-football injury list and eventually injured reserve in July 2008, ending his season. Udeze returned to the Metrodome
as an honorary captain for a game against the Green Bay Packers
on November 9, 2008, again stating he would return. "You know what? I'll be back next year," Udeze told the St. Paul Pioneer Press
.
Udeze was able to get back into good enough condition to return to the Vikings for 2009 pre-season training, reaching the physical form he was in before his illness. He took 26 snaps during a Vikings mini-camp but struggled with peripheral neuropathy
in his feet, a result of his chemotherapy. The neuropathy caused numbness that kept him from being able to plant firmly and create any burst up the field after the snap. Finding himself unable to move at the level he was used to, Udeze decided to retire and announced his decision on July 29, 2009.
.
Former USC assistant coach Steve Sarkisian
, who became head coach of the Washington Huskies, hired Udeze as an Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach, and also working with the defensive line. He also works heavily with charities that help raise money for cancer research. On August 1,2011 Udeze resigned from his position from the University of Washington.
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
) is an assistant coach of University of Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
Huskies football
Washington Huskies football
College football has a long history at the University of Washington. The Washington Huskies have won 15 Pacific-10 Conference championships, seven Rose Bowl titles, and three national championships. Washington's all-time record of 653-398-50 ranks 20th by all-time winning percentage and 21st by...
team and a former American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
defensive end
Defensive end
Defensive end is the name of a defensive position in the sport of American and Canadian football.This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations have substantially changed how the position is played over the years...
of the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
.
A first-round draft pick out of the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
, Udeze retired early from the NFL after a battle with acute lymphoblastic leukemia
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia is a form of leukemia, or cancer of the white blood cells characterized by excess lymphoblasts.Malignant, immature white blood cells continuously multiply and are overproduced in the bone marrow. ALL causes damage and death by crowding out normal cells in the bone...
.
Early years
Udeze attended Verbum Dei High School, and played college footballCollege football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at the University of Southern California, and was a three-year starter and helped his team to a 2004 Rose Bowl
Rose Bowl Game
The Rose Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game, usually played on January 1 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. When New Year's Day falls on a Sunday, the game is played on Monday, January 2...
victory as a junior. He finished his college career with 135 tackles (51 of them for a loss), 28 sacks (a school record), 14 forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, one interception, five pass deflections, and two blocked kicks.
He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
20th overall in the 2004 NFL Draft
2004 NFL Draft
The 2004 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 24-25, 2004 at the theater at Madison Square Garden...
.
Early career
Udeze was drafted by the Vikings out of USC in the first round of the 2004 NFL Draft2004 NFL Draft
The 2004 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 24-25, 2004 at the theater at Madison Square Garden...
with the 20th overall selection. During his rookie season with the Vikings, he started 15 games and recorded 36 tackles
Tackle (football move)
Most forms of football have a move known as a tackle. The primary purposes of tackling is to disposses an opponent of the ball, to stop the player from gaining ground towards goal or to stop them from carrying out what they intend....
, five sacks
Quarterback sack
In American football and Canadian football, a sack occurs when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage before he can throw a forward pass, or when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage in the "pocket" and the intent of what he was going to do is unclear...
, one forced fumble
Fumble
A fumble in American and Canadian football occurs when a player, who has possession and control of the ball loses it before being downed or scoring. By rule, it is any act other than passing, kicking or successful handing that results in loss of player possession...
, and one pass deflected
Pass deflected
In American football a pass deflected, also known as a pass defended, a pass defensed, a pass knock down, or a pass break up, is an incomplete pass that is caused by a defensive player...
. As a second year pro Udeze was injured in the Vikings third game of the season with cartilage damage in his left knee, which kept him out the rest of the year. Udeze finished the season with 3 games started, 5 tackles, and one sack
Quarterback sack
In American football and Canadian football, a sack occurs when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage before he can throw a forward pass, or when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage in the "pocket" and the intent of what he was going to do is unclear...
. In 2006 he was once again the starter at left defensive end, playing 16 games, starting 15 and recorded 29 tackles and no sacks. The following year he again playing in all 16 games, with 15 starts, and had 47 tackles and five sacks.
Illness and retirement
On February 11, 2008, it was announced that Udeze was diagnosed by doctors with a form of leukemiaLeukemia
Leukemia or leukaemia is a type of cancer of the blood or bone marrow characterized by an abnormal increase of immature white blood cells called "blasts". Leukemia is a broad term covering a spectrum of diseases...
: acute lymphoblastic leukemia
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia is a form of leukemia, or cancer of the white blood cells characterized by excess lymphoblasts.Malignant, immature white blood cells continuously multiply and are overproduced in the bone marrow. ALL causes damage and death by crowding out normal cells in the bone...
. KMSP-TV
KMSP-TV
KMSP-TV, channel 9, is the Fox-owned-and-operated television station serving the Minneapolis-Saint Paul, Minnesota designated market area, owned in a duopoly with MyNetworkTV affiliate WFTC...
(Ch. 9) also reported that Udeze was at Fairview Southdale Hospital undergoing tests and that he was at the Mayo Clinic
Mayo Clinic
Mayo Clinic is a not-for-profit medical practice and medical research group specializing in treating difficult patients . Patients are referred to Mayo Clinic from across the U.S. and the world, and it is known for innovative and effective treatments. Mayo Clinic is known for being at the top of...
in Rochester
Rochester, Minnesota
Rochester is a city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is the county seat of Olmsted County. Located on both banks of the Zumbro River, The city has a population of 106,769 according to the 2010 United States Census, making it Minnesota's third-largest city and the largest outside of the...
the week before. Udeze revealed that his acute leukemia
Acute leukemia
Acute leukemia or acute leukaemia is a generic term used to describe a family of serious medical conditions relating to an original diagnosis of leukemia...
is in a state of remission. Udeze will get a bone marrow
Bone marrow
Bone marrow is the flexible tissue found in the interior of bones. In humans, bone marrow in large bones produces new blood cells. On average, bone marrow constitutes 4% of the total body mass of humans; in adults weighing 65 kg , bone marrow accounts for approximately 2.6 kg...
transplant from his brother. He says he plans to play football again someday, but says health is his No. 1 priority for now.
The Vikings placed Udeze on the non-football injury list and eventually injured reserve in July 2008, ending his season. Udeze returned to the Metrodome
Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome
The Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, commonly called the Metrodome, is a domed sports stadium in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. Opened in 1982, it replaced Metropolitan Stadium, which was on the current site of the Mall of America in Bloomington and Memorial Stadium on the University...
as an honorary captain for a game against the Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
on November 9, 2008, again stating he would return. "You know what? I'll be back next year," Udeze told the St. Paul Pioneer Press
St. Paul Pioneer Press
The St. Paul Pioneer Press is a newspaper based in St. Paul, Minnesota, primarily serving the Twin Cities metropolitan area. Circulation is heaviest in the eastern metro region, including Ramsey, Dakota, and Washington counties, along with western Wisconsin, eastern Minnesota and Anoka County,...
.
Udeze was able to get back into good enough condition to return to the Vikings for 2009 pre-season training, reaching the physical form he was in before his illness. He took 26 snaps during a Vikings mini-camp but struggled with peripheral neuropathy
Peripheral neuropathy
Peripheral neuropathy is the term for damage to nerves of the peripheral nervous system, which may be caused either by diseases of or trauma to the nerve or the side-effects of systemic illness....
in his feet, a result of his chemotherapy. The neuropathy caused numbness that kept him from being able to plant firmly and create any burst up the field after the snap. Finding himself unable to move at the level he was used to, Udeze decided to retire and announced his decision on July 29, 2009.
Post-retirement
During his illness, Udeze decided to return to USC and take classes to finish his degree. In May 2010, Udeze graduated with a degree in sociologySociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
.
Former USC assistant coach Steve Sarkisian
Steve Sarkisian
Steve Sarkisian is an American football coach and former player of American and Canadian football. He is currently the head football coach at the University of Washington, a position he has held since the 2009 season...
, who became head coach of the Washington Huskies, hired Udeze as an Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach, and also working with the defensive line. He also works heavily with charities that help raise money for cancer research. On August 1,2011 Udeze resigned from his position from the University of Washington.