Ollie Ogbu
Encyclopedia
Olong O. Ogbu is an professional American Football
defensive tackle who is currently on the Indianapolis Colts
practice squad. He was a team captain
and four-year starter at Penn State
.
Ogbu’s speed and strength on the football field caught the attention of then Penn State assistant coach Brian Norwood
, who recruited him to come to Penn State. He spent one year at Milford Academy
, where he was named a PrepStar Magazine All-America
n.
when he arrived on campus in 2006, Ogbu redshirted
his freshman year. He played in every game of the 2007 season
, and was the starter for four. He finished the season with 18 tackles
, 10 tackles-for-loss, one sack
, and one forced fumble
. He was named to the Sporting News Freshman All-Big Ten
team.
Ogbu was selected to play in the 86th East-West Shrine Game
played on January 22, 2011, at the Citrus Bowl Stadium
in Orlando, Florida
.
Ogbu earned dual Bachelor of Arts
degrees in Crime, Law & Justice and Sociology from Penn State in 2010. He is a founding member of the Eta Alpha chapter of Iota Phi Theta.
by the Indianapolis Colts
on July 29, 2011 following the 2011 NFL Lockout.
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 tackle who is currently on the Indianapolis Colts
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....
practice squad. He was a team captain
Captain (sports)
In team sports, a captain is a title given to a member of the team. The title is frequently honorary, but in some cases the captain may have significant responsibility for strategy and teamwork while the game is in progress on the field...
and four-year starter at Penn State
Penn State Nittany Lions football
The Penn State Nittany Lions football team represents the Pennsylvania State University in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Big Ten Conference. It is one of the most tradition-rich and storied college football programs in the...
.
Early years
At St. Joseph by the Sea High SchoolSt. Joseph by the Sea High School
St. Joseph by-the-Sea High School is a co-educational Catholic school in the Huguenot neighborhood of Staten Island, New York. Though technically an independent school, it functions for all intents and purposes as a school of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York; though it has its own board...
Ogbu’s speed and strength on the football field caught the attention of then Penn State assistant coach Brian Norwood
Brian Norwood
Brian Norwood is an American football coach . He currently serves as Assistant Head Coach to Art Briles at Baylor University. Both Norwood and Briles served as assistants to Mike Leach at Texas Tech in 2000...
, who recruited him to come to Penn State. He spent one year at Milford Academy
Milford Academy
Milford Academy is a post-secondary school founded in 1906 in Milford, Connecticut as Yale Preparatory School. The school is located since 2004 in New Berlin, New York...
, where he was named a PrepStar Magazine All-America
All-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
n.
College career
Nicknamed "The Staten Island Ferry" by Penn State Head Coach Joe PaternoJoe Paterno
Joseph Vincent "Joe" Paterno is a former college football coach who was the head coach of the Penn State Nittany Lions for 46 years from 1966 through 2011. Paterno, nicknamed "JoePa," holds the record for the most victories by an NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision football coach with...
when he arrived on campus in 2006, Ogbu redshirted
Redshirt (college sports)
Redshirt is a term used in American college athletics that refers to a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen his or her period of eligibility...
his freshman year. He played in every game of the 2007 season
2007 Penn State Nittany Lions football team
The 2007 Penn State Nittany Lions football team represented the Pennsylvania State University in the 2007 college football season. The team was coached by Joe Paterno and played its home games in Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania....
, and was the starter for four. He finished the season with 18 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....
, 10 tackles-for-loss, 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...
, and 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...
. He was named to the Sporting News Freshman All-Big Ten
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
team.
Ogbu was selected to play in the 86th East-West Shrine Game
East-West Shrine Game
The East–West Shrine Game is an annual post-season college football all-star game played each January since 1925. The game is sponsored by the fraternal group Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, and the net proceeds are earmarked to some of the Shrine's charitable works, most notably the Shriners...
played on January 22, 2011, at the Citrus Bowl Stadium
Citrus Bowl
The Florida Citrus Bowl is a stadium in Orlando, Florida, USA, built for football, which currently seats around 70,000 people....
in Orlando, Florida
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
.
Ogbu earned dual Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degrees in Crime, Law & Justice and Sociology from Penn State in 2010. He is a founding member of the Eta Alpha chapter of Iota Phi Theta.
NFL
Ogbu was signed as an undrafted free agentFree agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
by the Indianapolis Colts
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....
on July 29, 2011 following the 2011 NFL Lockout.